Washington Wizards point guard Raul Neto (19) goes into the basket passing Phoenix Suns striker Mikal Bridges (25) and point guard Devin Booker (1) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, 11 January 2021 in Washington. The assistant center Robin Lopez (15) notes. (AP Photo / Nick Wass)
The Phoenix Suns would end up burning with their offensive ineptitude, especially at the start of the games.
It burned them in Friday’s defeat to the terrible Detroit Pistons, and burned them again in Monday’s defeat by 128-107 at the hands of the terrible Washington Wizards.
The Suns (7-4) entered the action on Monday night with 21 minus points in the first quarter in 10 games. Because of an excellent 64 mark in the second quarter, they managed to make up for it. They can’t count on that, though, and Monday showed them why.
Phoenix scored 15 points in the first quarter and dropped just 20-15 with 2:00 left. The attack failed to penetrate the dribble, nor did it show any real urgency to create it. That, in addition to poor jumping numbers, got them there. So, when the defense was indifferent, that was really playing with fire against an explosive offensive team like Washington.
The Wizards (3-8) completely dominated them from that point.
To emphasize how quickly this happened, there were only 15 points ahead of the Wizards with 8:42 in the second quarter. This increased to 32 in less than four minutes, making the race 37 to 10 Wizards in 10 minutes of play.
The Suns managed just 42 points in the first half against a porous Wizards defense that was losing 65.7 points in the first half before Monday’s game. The team lost 68-42 in the first half and failed to regain ground, with the nearest margin in the second half being the final marker. The Suns shot 4 out of 27 in the three-point range.
“This is just one of those smelly ones you want to clean up, hurry up and get back on track,” said coach Monty Williams.
“Our level of defense was simply not where it needed to be,” he added.
This was a very disengaged effort by the Suns, but the lack of offensive rhythm was there again and now it is a little surprising.
One of the trends within this is Chris Paul’s insistence on getting Deandre Ayton to start early. Paul almost apparently refuses to pursue his own chance until he gives the big guy a good look or two.
Chemistry is still a big job in progress.
Paul, in general, was never the type of player to start shooting, and this has been happening even more in the twilight of his career. Even in the tremendous season he had for Oklahoma City last year, which earned him Second Team All-NBA honors, he only attempted 12.7 shots per game.
In the first quarter of the first 10 games, Paul had 27 field shots against 25. This number for Paul overall has been remarkably consistent, falling below three shots per room in all four periods.
Paul involving his teammates in the way he does is part of what makes him a great player of all time. Much of this is becoming familiar, and he will certainly be a little more aggressive when the group starts clicking.
But while waiting for that, the team specifically needs him to be more of a goal threat now, especially at the start of the games and especially when most of their offensive energy has been to make something happen for Ayton.
That’s because Ayton’s determination around the hoop with the ball has regressed to his debut season and is perhaps the worst of all. He continues to pick up the ball near the basket and doesn’t look to finish, and on Monday he tripped over himself while doing so, turning the ball twice in the first half.
Wizards centerman Robin Lopez, in place of the injured Thomas Bryant, gave Ayton plenty of room.
This screenshot, from a medium-sized conversion of Ayton, illustrates the amount of real estate that Ayton could work with to get to the basket if he showed more assertiveness.
Ayton has always been a more refined player and his athletic limitations have never made him an incredibly explosive player in the ring. His first and second jumps were never great, and so is his vertical when he is jumping with one foot in motion.
He doesn’t bury sometimes. It drives people crazy and sometimes it’s okay. It is what it is. He is who he is. As long as the layin does not harm the final product, for sure. Do not dive.
The numbers, however, have a surprising difference and a potential correlation with what we have just discussed.
A dead end in 11 games, in particular, is simply stunning when you consider passers-by on the ground (like Paul).
The offensive misfortunes of the five players do not fall entirely on Ayton, but the effort to involve and strengthen him certainly plays an important role in this.
Ayton started the game on 1 of 6 and finished with eight points and six rebounds in 25 minutes. His counterpart Lopez had 11 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes. Seven of those 11 rebounds were on the offensive glass.
Paul scored four points and eight assists in the first half, ending with 14 points and 11 assists.
Devin Booker had 33 points in the defeat.
Bradley Beal set the game record with 34 points for Washington in the win.
There have been 11 games in the season and the group of Paul, Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder and Ayton still need to establish themselves.
When asked about the bad starts, Williams said he attributes some of that to familiarity, but said categorically that the group is not playing well. Booker said it was obvious and evident, even saying that they were carried by the bank in most of their victories.
Williams said his team should take a “deep look” at possible changes to the starting lineup.
The question, of course, is what this change could be.
Paul, Booker and Bridges are obviously not going anywhere.
Fans have already put pressure on Cam Johnson, and while Johnson is a better sniper than Crowder, Crowder has also proven to be the best ace and the very best defender. Crowder and Paul’s know-how to be present at team 99 rotations 100 times made a huge difference in the team’s defense, which has been the team’s number one strength. This is also the easiest move to make if Williams just wants to shake things up a bit.
Ayton gives Suns a defensive and glass presence that no one else in the team’s big rotation can come close to producing. Even when Ayton plays as he did on Monday, that is still true on the inside.
He was also the group’s biggest failure. Dario Saric helps the attack to flow and, with what Ayton has shown this year, Saric is the best offensive of the moment. When the starters returned in the fourth period, it was Saric in place of Ayton for a few minutes, before general choice number 1 made its final night shift.
There are obvious concerns about what a change to the reserve bench could do for 22-year-old Ayton, but it hasn’t worked for him with the regulars, except for an incredible two-game period. The other nine are not up to par and this team is not in a position to wait for him with expectations being the same.
Now, the interesting thing is that Williams has played Saric with Ayton in the last three games, after not having done so all season. Saric proved in the bubble that his best role is as a small ball five, but he provides some of what Crowder does as a smart team defender who can make offensive plays.
This, however, is to throw Saric out of position, where his speed at both ends is exposed against 4s. It also puts Damian Jones or Frank Kaminsky in the backup center, which is problematic.
It is a difficult and not an obvious decision. Are the Suns ready for a change? A 7-4 match doesn’t scream despair, but the disparity between the bank and the starting five allows a small start to appear.