TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
Warren’s scoring tendencies unique in today’s NBA
Devin Booker of Phoenix drives against Brook Lopez of Los Angeles during Monday’s Suns-Lakers game.
T.J. Warren already had a nickname – Tony Buckets – and a different way of putting the ball in the basket when he arrived at Brewster (New Hampshire) Academy for his senior season of high school.
While his teammates launched 3-pointers or lowered their head on drives to the rim, Warren would shoot off-balance runners, change-of-direction jumpers or get a defender off balance, create contact and then contort his body in a way so he could still get his shot off.
“He always had just a knack for finishing and scoring,” Brewster coach Jason Smith said. “There’s no other way to describe it. He was such a prolific scorer so we just let him do what he does best: put the ball in the basket.”
Little has changed in five years. Warren remains a scorer – his 18.7 scoring average ranks 37th in the NBA – and an outlier. As the mid-range game threatens to become extinct in a league that’s fall-
“He always had just a knack for finishing and scoring.” JASON SMITH High school coach of T. J. Warren
ing ever deeper in love with the 3-point shot, Warren stubbornly clings to his unique style.
Only 19 of his 212 field-goal attempts this season have come from 3-point range.
Excluding centers and power forwards, only Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons and Brooklyn’s Rondae Hollis-Jefferson have a lower percentage of fieldgoal attempts from 3-point range than Warren.
“I know I can shoot the 3 but if my inside game is working why change?” Warren said.
Good point.
Warren is shooting 50 percent from the field this season and in his past eight games is averaging 21.8 points per game, including a career-high 40 against Washington on Nov. 1 and 35 in Phoenix’s win over Minnesota on Saturday.
He’s also getting to the foul line more often than he has at any point of his career. He’s averaging 4.4 free-throw attempts per game; his previous high was 2.3, set last season.
Warren’s importance to the Suns as a secondary scorer alongside Devin Booker is illustrated by one statistic. Phoenix has won five games; in only one of those wins did Warren score fewer than 20 points.
“He’s a tough guard for a lot of people,” interim coach Jay Triano said. “… He’s a mid-range guy but we still think that he gets fouled at a great rate and he gets to the rim enough that those things make him super valuable at the offensive end.”
Warren can’t remember a time when his offensive game didn’t look different from everyone else’s. Even as a boy, he was figuring out how to draw contact or make off-balance shots.
“It just comes natural,” Warren said. “I’ve got a good touch and a good feel for the game. For a long time I’ve just been able to finish around the rim. Maybe it’s because I play basketball a lot. I just love to play. I’m not really big on working out so if I can play one-onone for three to four hours that’s what I do. I’m just a gamer.”
Besides, as long as the ball is finding its way to bottom of the basket, who cares how it got there?
“Scoring is scoring,” Warren said. “Doesn’t matter how you’re scoring as long as you’re scoring. If your shot isn’t going in you have to figure out a different way to score. Guys are always telling me my scoring is unique. I take that as a compliment.
“I feel like if you guard me there’s a great chance I’m going to score on you. That’s my mentality when I’m playing out there.”
It’s a mentality Smith recognized way back in high school.
“Even when he was here at Brewster he could score in his sleep,” Smith said. “That’s why he was called Tony Buckets.”