Warriors should be focused on emulating the Suns
In public and behind closed doors, members of the Warriors’ organization haven’t hesitated in trashing the Phoenix Suns.
Draymond Green has called the Suns organization “terrible” — and worse — in post-game media scrums. He advocated on national television for Devin Booker to force his way out of Phoenix. And the things that Warriors both with and without connections to the Suns organization have said when the cameras aren’t rolling and phones aren’t recording are even more damning.
Truth be told, many of these criticisms of the Suns’ organization were and are fair.
But there’s a hilarious irony to the current hierarchy between the teams on the court.
The Warriors were a dynastic team not long ago, but they’ve missed the playoffs the last two years, falling in the play-in tournament this season.
The Suns, meanwhile, are in the Western Conference Finals after impressive playoff series wins over the Lakers and Nuggets. They’re the favorites to win the Western Conference, as they’re up 2-0 against the Los Angeles Clippers, and just two wins from an NBA Finals berth.
Yes, the tables have turned. Now it’s the Warriors who need to look toward the Suns for guidance.
What happened to the Suns and can the Warriors replicate it?
It might not be so tough.
Chris Paul is, no doubt, the story of the postseason. The 36-year-old point guard has been the ultimate operator and a midrange maestro for the first two rounds, pushing the
Suns to heights they haven’t seen in more than a decade.
There are only a few players like that in the history of the NBA — an exact replica isn’t in the cards for the Warriors — but Paul is merely executing the well-established requirements of playoff success.
An amalgamation of Steph Curry and Draymond Green can operate the offense, getting the Warriors into the right sets in the most serious moments. Adding a wing that can run point — a la Andre Iguodala or Shaun Livingston — would go a long way with this team, though.
The Suns’ success isn’t all Paul though. Major credit needs to go to Booker, who is thriving off-ball, and the Suns’ coterie of shooters that space the floor around Paul and center DeAndre Ayton.
Booker handles the ball better than Klay Thompson, but Thompson is a better shooter. Let’s call that a wash.
Andrew Wiggins is coming off his best season as a professional, taking the next step in his career as a viable two-way force. It’ll be fascinating to see how his career and that of Phoenix wing Mikal Bridges coincide. Bridges was only revered by hipster basketball fans before this postseason — especially after posting an effective field goal percentage of 64% in the regular season — but now everyone is being forced to admit that he’s the prototypical 3-and-D wing.
Wiggins could be exceptionally effective in a more condensed role, like Bridges’.
He could also take another step forward and relegate Thompson to the 3-and-D role while he takes on a more shot-creating position in the offense.
As has been said countless times since he was acquired, Wiggins’ success will determine the Warriors’.
Around those players, the Warriors, of course, need to add as many shooters as possible — they need to become significantly deeper after being forced into an eightman rotation at the end of the season. Phoenix is one of the deepest teams in the NBA and its role players — Bridges included — have their roles down pat. Add in the positive energy the team’s bench players bring the court every night and you have a great example of strength in numbers. Remember when that was the Dubs’ thing?
Then we get to the big question mark in the middle.
It was only a few months ago that DeAndre Ayton, the 22-yearold center who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2018, was being discussed as a liability to the Suns.
And the criticisms were fair. The truth remains that young centers take a long time to adjust to the NBA — if they adjust at all. It’s hard to be a big man in this modern game. It’s even tougher when you’re too young to legally drink. This is a full-grown man’s league, and while these guys are 7 feet tall, they’re still just kids.
No one is talking about Ayton as a liability to the Suns anymore. In fact, he’s been invaluable as part of this great playoff run.
The key has been the simplification of his game. Yes, the matchups have been favorable, but he’s a rim runner and a rim protector now. He might have far more skills than that, but the Suns are only asking him to execute the basics and he’s doing an exceptional job.
The Warriors tried that with James Wiseman after months of experimentation last season. Around the time things started to possibly click, he injured his knee.
Wiseman is two years behind Ayton in the school of center, but he, like Phoenix’s big, is a smart kid. Can a simplified role — JaVale McGee on steroids — make the Kid Ticket a winning player in 2021-22?
When listed out, this is a lot to ask from the Warriors. The good news is that it’s doable. The Suns are hardly a juggernaut — they’re just a really good team. They have been all season.
The bad news is it must be done if the Dubs want to turn the tables in the Western Conference once again.