How High Do Suns Climb in Initial NBA Power Rankings
The Phoenix Suns are 3-1 after their opening stretch, and thus far we’ve seen a mixed bag of play.
The beginning stages of Mike Budenholzer’s tenure in Phoenix have seen some new innovations (an actual offensive philosophy) while some old problems (turnovers) still plague the Suns.
The first week of action is now in the books – here’s where the Suns stand in power rankings across the web:
ESPN: No. 7
Dave McMenamin: “After trying out Devin Booker and Bradley Beal as point guards at times last season, Phoenix signed Tyus Jones to a bargain one-year, $3.3 million deal in the offseason to play the position. In the early going, the 28-year-old Duke product is producing, averaging 10.0 points on 48.5% shooting (37.5% from 3), while ranking in the top 20 in the league in both assists (6.0) and steals (1.8).”
Yahoo!: No. 6
Ben Rohrbach: “‘Man, this motherf***er really is efficient.’ Kevin Durant told Mark Medina this is how we should classify his career in relation to other all-time greats. Imagine being so good that you could say that about yourself — and be right. Did you see him close out the Lakers?
NBA.com: No. 7
John Schuhmann: “A 2-1 start isn’t bad considering the strength of the Suns’ schedule, and they were at a rest disadvantage when they beat the Mavs on Saturday.”
The Athletic: No. 7
Law Murray: “The Suns zagged hard last season, hiring a defensive guru head coach in Frank Vogel and punting on traditional point guards so that Devin Booker could be the lead ballhandler with Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant. It worked fine, as long as the Suns didn’t need to do anything in fourth quarters, when they were by far the worst team in the league. New head coach Mike Budenholzer has assist-turnover ratio merchants Tyus Jones and Monte Morris at the position. Those two small guards have combined for 32 assists and four turnovers, and the Suns are actually outscoring foes in the fourth quarter to start the season.”
This week, the Suns are on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers while the hosting the Portland Trail Blazers.
