Suns’ Landale setting screens, finishing passes from Durant
The Phoenix Suns were just beginning their four-game road trip in Milwaukee.
Jay-Z’s 4:44 was blaring inside the visitor’s locker room at Fiserv Forum.
Jock Landale had yet to play a game yet with Kevin Durant, but already had a good idea what his role would be when the 13-time All-Star made his Suns debut.
“Get him open,” Landale said. “That’s a great look for us. A lot of it just simplifies. I’m always going to stay aggressive and look to score, but I think that’s probably less of an emphasis on that part and more of an emphasis on doing the dirty work and the intangibles and to be honest, I love that stuff.”
Durant made his debut the following Wednesday at Charlotte and there was Landale setting a screen for his new teammate, who rose up and hit a jumper early in the second quarter.
Then later in the fourth, Landale got Durant loose again on screen for two jumpers to keep Phoenix ahead by double digits.
“Great hands, good roller, great screener,” Durant said about Landale. “Usually when you got bigs that can screen for you, they give you so much space to get to my spots and usually the defenses have to react.”
Durant is now three games deep into his run with the Suns (36-29). They are unbeaten with him as Landale has been part of a unit with Durant and a mix of reserves like Cameron Payne, Torrey, Craig and Ish Wainright.
Suns coach Monty Williams has gone with Landale instead of Bismack Biyombo as the backup big to Deandre Ayton. In Durant’s second game, Landale set off-ball screens that led to Durant buckets.
Landale had nine points and six rebounds in the win over the Bulls. Grabbing four offensive boards, Landale kicked one out to Durant for a 3 to put Phoenix up, nine, with 10:37 left.
“Just bringing that energy and getting as many o-boards as I can,” Landale said. “That’s my bread and butter game-to-game.”
Later in the fourth, Durant delivered a whistle pass to Landale, who got the handle on it and scored to give the Suns a 107-95 advantage with 7:27 left in the game.
“Try to make the right play and I trust Jock to finish,” Durant continued. “He’s doing a great job of catching and finishing. Some of those passes have been beaming at him, throwing them kind of fast, but he’s still been able to catch it and focus and knock them in.”
Then Sunday at Dallas, Landale set another off-ball screen for Durant, who cut right to left across the free-throw line, received a pass from Payne and drove with the left hand for the righthanded finish to pull Phoenix within six, 89-83, with 3:19 remaining in the third.
Landale opened the fourth with Craig, Payne, Wainright and Durant. Landale screened off the ball again for Durant, who sprung free and connected off a Payne feed to put Phoenix up three early in the fourth.
Later in the quarter, Durant found Landale again for his only shot attempt and basket that pulled the Suns within three, 103-100, with 9:45 left.
Driving left past Reggie Bullock after bringing the ball up the court, Durant jumped in the air in the paint, was met airborne by Christian Wood, but threw the ball around him to Landale, who kept a reaching Josh Green on his back and finished with Wood trying to get back into the play to contest.