Mike Budenholzer was hired as head coach of the Suns in part to shore up a defense that allowed too many easy baskets and ranked in the bottom 10 in turnovers forced. Overall, Phoenix ranked 13th in defensive rating last season.
That’s exactly what the Suns focused on during the first two days of camp, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes.
“Establish a defensive identity,” Budenholzer said. “Establish how important being great defensively is. We’ve had a great month of September with open gym, but understandably, it’s mostly offense and just hooping and playing. (Tuesday) was a lot more of a defensive emphasis and putting in our basic, whether it’s our shell defense. Pick-and-roll defense, transition defense.”
We have more on the Suns:
- Both Rankin and Gerard Bourguet of GoPHNX.com shared the biggest takeaways from Monday’s media day. Among the topics that Rankin highlighted was Phoenix’s belief it got a huge free agent bargain with the addition of Tyus Jones. “We can say how it is, we got him for a steal,” Devin Booker said. “I remember the news being broke while we were at USA (Basketball), all the guys in the locker room where like, ‘Man, how did y’all get that done?’” Bourguet noted that big man Jusuf Nurkic and his teammates will be seeking out more 3-point attempts.
- Speaking of Jones, The Athletic’s Doug Haller explores how the veteran point guard will impact the offense. The Suns tried to win without a pure point guard last season and it didn’t work despite the efforts of Booker and Bradley Beal. Phoenix averaged 14.9 turnovers per game and looked disorganized during key moments. Jones’ knack for playing under control and getting the ball in the right spots should change all that.
- Damion Lee was re-signed on a one-year deal despite missing last season due to a meniscus tear in his right knee. Lee told Bourguet (Twitter links) why his recovery took so long. “It’s been a journey. Oct. 10 will be a year out of surgery, and like I explained before, I initially went in for a regular meniscus injury. Come to find out it was a root tear, then come to find out both roots were off,” Lee explained. The injury wore on him mentally, too. He fought depression and sought out therapy. “I’ve been through ‘it,’ and I’m still standing tall. That’s perseverance, that’s resilience, that’s faith,” Lee said.
Not to mention they signed one of the best passing bigs in Plumlee to back up Nurkic, and veteran guard Monte Morris. Considering their limitations heading into the summer, the Suns have done very well to improve their situation. I expect them to move up the Western ladder.
It’s all about the Big 3’s health.
Suns like Lakers and Clippers, were very lucky with injuries last year.