Three weeks into the season, the Phoenix Suns are 8-2, have an offensive rating of 113.9, defensive rating of 112.4 and a non-garbage time net of +1.5.
They have a four-game road trip ahead in Utah, Sacramento, Oklahoma City, and Minnesota, before returning home for a six-game stay that stretches across 15 days.
Here’s what caught my attention recently.
Devin Booker’s Playmaking
It’s been an interesting season for Devin Booker so far.
On the one hand, most will look at his 23.1 PPG on just 56.1 true shooting percentage and say he’s left more to be desired, which would not be wrong considering the lofty standard in three-level volume scoring on efficiency he’s established as he’s entered his prime.
On the other hand, however, he’s continued to show growth in playmaking out of pick-and-rolls for himself and others.
Per Synergy, including passes, only 20 players have registered 130 pick-and-roll possessions this season, and Booker ranks seventh in points per possession.
In alignment there, we’ve also seen him enjoy one of the best playmaking runs of his career the last three games.
When it comes to his growth, let’s start here.
The above video is a prime example of him flattening the defense, then stretching it.
Now, this can happen in multiple contexts, which we’ll get into, but watch his methodical approach while probing, then generating an eventual deep paint touch on the drive.
Past just that, notice how he leverages his gravity while also keeping awareness of where help would have to come from, knowing he had a mismatch in addition to his attack — the helper being Terry Rozier, leaving Tyus Jones wide open.
It’s a bit of rinse and repeat on this one. Jimmy Butler tries to stick to Booker but Royce O’Neale works early in the clock to screen, giving Booker access to Duncan Robinson on the switch — their “Waldo” here (Waldo = preferred matchup/target).
Booker then works the dribble down or “Barkley” if you will (dribbles himself into post positioning). That, in tandem with another deep paint touch, as he flattens the defense, draws two to the ball, and then he stretches them with the corner skip as Ryan Dunn is helped off of.
This one’s a bit more self-explanatory in watching, but as the Suns flow into Veer action (a pick on-ball immediately followed by the same screener, off-ball), Haywood Highsmith ducks under the initial screen to keep Booker away from the paint and funnels him to Bam Adebayo.
As an automatic in their process, with the desire being to generate an over from the defender on-ball – which would allow Booker access downhill with his defender trailing – the Suns re-screen immediately with Booker and Nurkić to counter coverage, and Booker again holds two to the ball. Nurkić is then wide open for three on the pop.
Make note of the snappy cadence at which Booker is probing, consistently drawing two, plus flattening then stretching defenses with his quick processing.
The Suns get to their Waldo again here.
Things grow even more complete as, after Booker draws the Rozier switch, the Suns are then able to have two preferred matchups in primary action, when O’Neale then brings Tyler Herro to the ball with the pick.
A lot of times, when mismatch hunting, the best shot quality will come external of primary action – as a defense adjusts to attempt to neutralize the issue on-ball.
O’Neale does a great job in re-spacing, then Booker changes the pace up and passes quick on the kick to O’Neale — creating a closeout, which is a strength for O’Neale to play off, and we see him use his patented pump fake into freedom to evade.
Booker is truly in a space where he’s pulling the strings of defenders in primary action, and manipulating the help defenders around him too.
We even see plenty of that here against Dallas, who were not shy at all about the help conceded in efforts to shrink the floor and load the driving lanes on Booker’s touches. That is, until the Suns manipulated the space around him to allow more organic advantages.
Now we see angle pick-and-roll from the slot. A great Nurkić screen doubles in allowing Booker to engage Daniel Gafford in his drop, then also — as Booker now holds a soft two to the ball in — opens the roll.
Booker forces Gafford to slide just enough to carve out a crevice for the pass, and it’s aided by Durant being a pass away, so Klay Thompson is not helping to tag (disrupt) Nurkić’s roll.
This playmaking feel extends past just in pick-and-roll as he’s able to navigate to, and then manipulate the defense in similar manners.
Action flows, there’s solid defense from Miami and then Booker gets an isolation touch in space.
Notice Booker scanning, then understanding the defense intent on him – with Adebayo at the nail. Next, think about the why and how with his subsequent drive to hold Adebayo, which then opened Nurkić on 45-cut late clock. He was purposeful in holding Adebayo’s attention for action to occur around that.
“Quick” action is simply an empty corner pindown taking place on the weak side of the floor. We see Booker in that here, and the advantages are plentiful in this scenario, with tons of advantages to create.
Here we see Booker receive a great screen from Nurkić, which allows Booker a deep paint touch via movement, flattening the defense from it, then spray it out to Nurkić on the pop.
The Suns do a great job re-spacing late in the clock. Notice the switch from Dallas under the rim as Dwight Powell implores for him and Thompson to switch.
The right wing is clear for Booker and it’s Durant in the strong corner, so there will be zero help from there. However, as Jones relocates to the now weak side corner, notice Powell pitch a tent in the paint, for early help.
Watch Booker intentionally engage him, knowing it will cause a chain reaction in the help defense around.
Now, I do believe Booker’s intent was to then kick it to the corner after the drive to engage Powell, but watch the real-time discernment. He flattens the defense, then (hat tip to O’Neale on his re-spacing) creates great distance as Kyrie Irving sinks to play two in space.
Booker no-looks to hold Irving sinking onto Jones in the corner, moving the defense with his eyes, then brilliantly finds O’Neale for the wide-open late clock three, uncontested.
This is the growth I’m speaking to, even in non-pick-and-roll scenarios. He’s manipulating similar advantages.
Now, on these two reps, we see the Suns playing off the nail help Booker is garnering.
One context takes place in pick-and-roll as the Suns get into multiple early in the clock.
The second is in transition – both of which saw him make prompt reads off aggressive nail help, enabling his teammates to play off a rotating defender.
Booker has been leveraging the defenses he’s seeing into advantages for others: Flattening opposing coverages then stretches them.
Pull up three’s
I mentioned Booker’s playmaking for himself, but he’s also been diligently searching for pull-up pockets to counter defenses going under screens on him, soft switches, or drop coverage.
If you take passes out of the equation, of the 34 players who’ve compiled 50+ pick-and-roll possessions, Booker is fourth in points per, which is largely due to his prowess and efficiency on these shots in particular.
He’s at 40% on his 20 attempts in that context.
In all, he’s played some of the best pick-and-roll in the NBA this season, and it’s something that’ll take on more impact as he sharpens his shot profile more in Mike Budenholzer’s system.
Mike Budenholzer’s ATO Prowess
The Phoenix Suns are presently fourth in the NBA in after-timeout efficiency (ATO), coming in at 1.071 points per possession.
They’re also third in points per game via ATO’s at 15.1.
You can tell that Budenholzer sees after timeout scenarios as a margin the Suns look to dominate on a nightly basis, especially with the liberties given to his players.
Take a look at these two plays that took place in the second quarter versus Sacramento.
Suns go elbow action but clear the weak side. The spacing strong side is “corner filled,” which means a player is occupying the dunker spot and a player is in the deep corner.
De’Aaron Fox ducks under the screen and jumps the passing lane to stop the flow. Mason Plumlee serves as the pressure release, and watch Dunn then set an exit screen for Grayson Allen to create flow.
Here, it’s the same play, same personnel and same spacing template.
Watch the way the Suns anticipated the Kings’ reaction out of the timeout, how quickly and astutely they got into their pressure counter (pitching it to Plumlee much sooner), and how Beal promptly cut backdoor knowing Plumlee was going to lead him.
This is just one example, but I spoke to Jones over the weekend about the Suns and their pressure counters.
Keep an eye out for the Suns in these pressure counter scenarios, as well as their ATO process going forward.
Organized Chaos in Transition
The Suns have 46 made three’s from the corner this season, ranking fourth. Their 114 attempts is fifth. Though they generate a lot in the half-court, they also strategically do so in transition too.
The ways they leverage spacing (especially early corners) and manipulate high shot quality in succession is fun.
There’s a true emphasis on players getting in front of the ball on breaks and filling the deep corners, which naturally creates an overload, then numbers advantage in applying pressure.
Jones fills the lane on the same side as Booker, and Booker is then able to put Rozier in a can’t be right scenario, as he has to help stop the ball first.
Rinse and repeat here, with Allen.
I will look plenty more into their transition process as the season progresses, but there certainly is a trend here.
Life without Kevin Durant
These dynamics spoken to from Jones and Budenholzer will be even more relevant as they operate without Kevin Durant for the next few weeks.
Film Session
Be sure to check out the the latest edition of Stephen’s Study! Though Durant is out, the action I broke down is something that can effectively be ran by Jones, Booker, or Beal.
Of Note:
- Devin Booker’s leading assist recipient on the season now is Tyus Jones; 12 of his 17 assists to Jones have been for three
- Tyus Jones is shooting 50% on catch-and-shoot three-point attempts
- The Suns bench is +1.4 on the season, 8th best in the league
- Devin Booker is 929 points away from surpassing Walter Davis for the all-time leading scorer of the franchise
