PLUMLEE ENJOYS SHOT-BLOCKING CHALLENGES
Portland point guard Damian Lillard slipped behind Suns point guard Goran Dragic along the baseline as he caught a pass.
The open path to the rim had Lillard’s eyes widening like when a running back spots an unobstructed way to the end zone.
Lillard launched his body upward, turning his frame and cocking back his right arm with the ball to dunk on Suns center Miles Plumlee. It was like that running back suddenly running into Patrick Willis and trying to lower a shoulder on him in the open field.
Lillard was stuffed at the point of attack by Plumlee. He should have known better. If Plumlee is in the neighborhood, his shotblocking ability now deserves notice.
“I think I can be really good at it, so I like when people challenge me,” Plumlee said.
Just five weeks into his first full-time NBA duty, Plumlee has established himself as an elite shot blocker. The Suns’ starting center swats 1.94 shots per game, which ties him for seventh in the NBA with Houston’s Dwight Howard, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Plumlee has the natural traits of a shot-blocker: a 6-foot-11 frame, a 7-1 wingspan, a 40-inch vertical leap and quick feet.
Plumlee had the ideal mentor to watch last season, Indiana teammate Roy Hibbert, who blocks shots by leaping with his arms straight up as well as anyone in the NBA.
This season, Plumlee also has the opportunity. He is the back line of the Suns’ defensive system as the type of big man who can show and recover on pick-androlls. He is quick enough to react for blocks coming from the weak side and smart enough to use timing without overreaction (he says the rim is 10 feet high no matter how high he jumps for the block).
“Miles has a great knack of just jumping straight up in the air and putting his hands up,” Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. “He’s also very smart about putting his hand on the ball if it’s there, but he holds it back if it’s not.”
With Alex Len shut down again because of ankle soreness, Plumlee remains the Suns’ only true center in the rotation, and his absence can be felt on the boards and on defense (he was on the bench for the final 16 minutes of Saturday loss, including Utah’s 34-point fourth quarter).
That was a long time to go without a player who already is among the second tier of top NBA shot blockers, arguably ahead of what the Suns had last season with Marcin Gortat. It is a promising start to Plumlee’s career, which saw more minutes by halftime of the second game this season than he had as a rookie (55).
Plumlee has shown a knack for avoiding fouls while challenging shots and incurring contact. He still has room to grow as a shot blocker.
He is learning the balance of when not to go after drivers’ shots because he can leave his man available for easy putbacks. He is getting a feel for how to block shots while retaining possession. On two of his three blocks Saturday, his Utah victims regained the ball and scored easily.
Those are high-level skills, but they seem attainable after seeing what Plumlee already has established.
“If you’re playing hard, you’re normally in the right spot,” Plumlee said. “If you’re in the right spot, it’s normally going to come out your way. A block is a gamechanging play and huge momentum shift. People start thinking twice about coming in the lane.”
Bledsoe’s Iron Bowl shift
As a Birmingham native and lifelong Alabama football fan, point guard Eric Bledsoe was upset as the miraculous ending to Saturday’s Iron Bowl unfolded on the Suns training-room television.
Then Bledsoe noticed it was Chris Davis, his former high school basketball teammate, who was returning the field-goal attempt on the game’s final play.
“I couldn’t even be mad,” Bledsoe said. “I was grateful for it. He’ll probably end up winning an ESPY for it.
“It was kind of weird because I was yelling, ‘He stepped on the line! He stepped on the line! As soon as I saw Davis on the back (of his jersey), I was like, ‘Yeah, it was a good touchdown.’ ”