The Suns Are Rolling Out a Defensive Fever Dream to Save Their Season
Following a string of brutal defensive performances, the Phoenix Suns are drastically shaking up their starting five, rolling out a chaotic lineup centered around Devin Booker and four defensive grinders.
HotTakes Editorial TeamUpdated 1 min read
Finding live odds…
The Phoenix Suns have officially reached the phase of the season where you just throw the whiteboard into the nearest dumpster and see what happens.
According to Underdog NBA, Phoenix is hitting the panic button ahead of Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets. The Suns are rolling out a completely scrambled starting five of Devin Booker, Josh Green, Dillon Brooks, Mikal Bridges, and rookie Khaman Maluach.
"Underdog NBA reported: 'Lineup alert: Suns will start Booker, Green, Brooks, Bridges, Maluach on Friday.'"
You cannot really blame the coaching staff for getting weird with the rotation. The Suns are coming off a brutal stretch where they surrendered 131 points to the Golden State Warriors and another 125 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. When you are bleeding points like a ruptured fire hydrant, you have to try something drastic.
This specific combination of players is a defensive fever dream. Starting Brooks, who is chipping in 10 points and four boards a night, alongside Bridges is like sending two different types of debt collectors to the same house. Opposing guards are going to have an absolutely miserable time trying to initiate any kind of offense.
But the other end of the floor is where things get hilarious. The offensive spacing for this group is going to look like a crowded subway car. Booker is already carrying the load, averaging 23 points per game on nearly 54 percent shooting, and his usage rate is about to go to the moon.
If you are looking at the prop market, Booker might have to take 30 shots just to keep Phoenix in the game. When you share the floor with a rookie center and a bunch of defensive grinders, you are basically required to shoot the basketball every single time you touch it.
We will see if this chaotic experiment actually pays off when the Nuggets come to town on Friday. If Phoenix lays another egg and the offense completely stalls out, expect this defensive-heavy rotation to be permanently retired by Saturday morning.
Key stats
Key statsDevin Booker is averaging 23.0 points per game on 53.8 percent shooting.
The Suns recently surrendered 131 points to the Golden State Warriors and 125 points to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Dillon Brooks is averaging 10.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
What's next
The Suns will test this new defensive-heavy unit against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, but it could be quickly scrapped if the offense completely stalls out.
