Did Suns find a sustainable lineup in victory over Spurs?
Fourteen games is not a large enough sample size to use to judge an NBA team, but it’s not inconsequential, either.
With 17 percent or so of the season gone, we have a much better idea of who the Suns are, and aren’t, than we did when they opened training camp in late September.
Back then, management told us the Suns were emerging from a three-year rebuilding job. The goal for this season was to be the most-improved team in the NBA, the lack of an experienced point guard on the roster be damned.
This did not seem that far-fetched, given they won 21 games last season. Minus the tanking that helped them earn the first overall draft pick, the goal of a 10-to-15 game improvement didn’t seem unrealistic.
It does now.
Suns by the numbers
Points per game (last in NBA) Points allowed per game (24th in NBA) Total attendance at Talking Stick Arena this season in 8 games (15th in NBA)
After Wednesday’s victory over the Spurs, the Suns are 3-11 (.214 winning percentage). For a 10-game improvement, they need to almost double that winning percentage for the rest of the season.
It’s laughable to think the team we’ve watched most nights this season could improve that much.
But the team that beat the Spurs by 20 points Wednesday was different. It hustled. It played defense. It shot well from three-point range. Most importantly, it showed interest from the opening tip for one of the few times so far this season.
If the Suns were paying attention, that victory could serve as a GPS that guides them toward respectability.
Yes, the addition of an experienced point guard would benefit the Suns more than anything else. But the Suns can’t waste a season waiting for the arrival of a savior who might not come.
In the meantime, they need to use Wednesday’s game as a template.
“We looked like a team who can really compete with the best in this league,” coach Igor Kokoskov said.
Suns fans would add the chorus “For a change,” to that comment.
So what was different Wednesday night?
The Suns played like they cared, and it doesn’t seem like a coincidence they were playing without forward Trevor Ariza, who missed the game because of a personal matter.
Ariza isn’t to blame for all of the Suns problems so far this season — that takes a village, including the perplexing offseason moves by management. But Ariza has not brought the veteran, mature presence the Suns expected when they signed him to one-year $15-million deal last summer.
Maybe the Suns organization is in worse shape than Ariza expected, but it’s no excuse for playing poor defense, jogging in transition and setting a bad example for a locker room full of young players.
The contrast between Ariza’s body language and effort and that of guard Jamal Crawford has been stark.
Too often, Ariza has played like he doesn’t want be here, and the Suns could accommodate him after Dec. 15, when newly-signed free agents can first be dealt.
Until that happens, Kokoskov should lean toward using the lineup and rotation he did Wednesday night.
Rookie Mikal Bridges started and Josh Jackson came off the bench early.
Jackson, whose playing time drastically declined the past two weeks, played nearly 22 minutes and scored 14 points, all in the first half.
Watching Jackson can be infuriating for Suns fans. I get it. Too often, he’s lacked self-awareness, falling short of becoming the defender he can be and viewing himself as more of a scoring threat than he really is.
But he’s also only 21, and only a month ago was considered among the trio of young players, along with Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, the Suns would build around.
He handled his decreased playing time with maturity and seized an opportunity against the Spurs.
“I recall a time last year when I went through the same phase,” Jackson said. “It kind of frustrated me and got to me a little bit. This year, I’m more prepared. Coaching staff, they’ve got things they’re trying to figure out. We, as players, have things we’re trying to figure out.”
Bridges scored only eight points, but his effort, especially defensively was impressive. Early in the fourth quarter, Spurs center Jakob Poeltl had an open path to the basket. Rather than back off, Bridges contested the shot and fouled Poeltl, who missed one of the two free throws.
It was a small thing, but it was the kind of hustle play that’s been rare for the Suns this season.
Booker provided the leadership the Suns will need from him. For the first three quarters, he didn’t play well, scoring six points and committing seven turnovers.
But he finished with 13 points and more important, 12 assists.
Some of Booker’s early turnovers were calculated ones, Jackson said. Booker was passing the ball where a teammate should have been to make a point.
“A few times,” Booker confirmed with a smile. “Getting everybody on the same page is what I need to work on as a leader. I think they saw it tonight.”
They did. For one night. The question now is if the Suns can replicate it.