The Phoenix Suns' 117-107 overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets has JJ Redick spotlighting them as a top contender. Although Phoenix was shorthanded due to Devin Booker suffering a right ankle sprain in Saturday's loss to the Rockets, they were able to lead an effective offensive attack with Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal as well as an impressive game from Grayson Allen who finished with 28 points and eight made three-pointers.
“We spend so much time talking about the Lakers, we spend so much time talking about the four best teams in the Western Conference. We should not be overlooking the Phoenix Suns when it comes to real playoff runs & real playoff contention.”
– JJ Redickpic.twitter.com/fIOdzymFdb
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 6, 2024
Redick took to First Take Wednesday morning to talk about the Suns' chances as a legitimate contender.
“One of the issues when you decide to build a super team is that you are giving up some roster flexibility and depth. And so this team was always going to struggle in the win-loss column. If one of these guys got hurt, Kevin Durant has missed seven games. Booker now has missed 12 games. Bradley Beal has missed 29 games. They just haven't had the depth. [Austin Rivers] brings up Royce O'Neal. Look, they're top seven. I put their top seven against almost any team in basketball. When we talk about Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Eric Gordon, Royce O'Neal, and the big three. They all complement each other.”
He then rattled off stats that support his assertion that the Sun's seven-man lineup is effective.
“You can look at lineup data, right? And of any five-man lineup that has played over 250 minutes together. They have one of five of those lineups that have outscored opponents by more than 10 points per 100 possessions. They are a good team when they're healthy. They're an absolutely good team. The other thing that I like about their team right now, assuming health in the playoffs, they can play a number of ways. So they can play big with Nurkic, use him as a hub offensively. I think he's had an outstanding season. They can go small with Kevin Durant at the five and just outshoot you. Grayson Allen has been a perfect complimentary player. He's having a career year leading the NBA in three-point percentage had another big night last night.
He added, “This is a really good basketball team. And we spend so much time talking about the Lakers. We spend so much time talking about the four best teams in the Western Conference. We should not be overlooking the Phoenix Suns. When it comes to real playoff runs and real playoff contention. They are a damn good basketball team.”
JJ Redick has an amazing point. The Suns have indeed hit their stride on the season. They are 36-26 and have managed to solidify their rotations, even amid the injuries the team has had to deal with. They're currently one spot out of the seventh seed, up two games in the win column over the seventh-seeded Kings.
The Suns play the Raptors on Thursday at 9 PM EST.
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