Hawks vs. Suns Game Preview

On the heels of a 125-121 win over the Denver Nuggets, the Hawks will face perhaps an even tougher challenge Thursday night as they travel to Phoenix to play the blazing Suns. Though Denver still holds the better record, the 6-4 Suns have been among the most dominant teams in the NBA through 10 games, outscoring opponents by nearly seven points per 100 possessions. Like Atlanta, Phoenix is missing a key frontcourt piece – Deandre Ayton – due to a 25-game suspension for a drug violation. But unlike the Hawks, the Suns have the depth to survive his absence.

Phoenix is seeing the difference competence can make in the NBA. There’s value in being able to put five capable NBA players on the floor for 48 minutes, even if the team lacks elite top-end talent. Last season, the Suns were forced to lean on sub-replacement-level players for significant portions of games. This year they’ve inserted more viable options into those roles and experienced the difference sheer adequacy can make. The dropoff from starters to reserves isn’t nearly as steep, and Phoenix has even made upgrades within the starting lineup.

Ricky Rubio, while imperfect, can run an NBA offense and provide passable defense at the point of attack. Aron Baynes won’t necessarily shift an opponent’s strategic priorities, but he’ll also never cause his coach to fret over the integrity of the team’s defense. Even younger players like Mikal Bridges and Dario Šarić offer connectivity and production in limited roles.

Game Time: Thursday, November 14, 2019, 9:00 p.m. ET

Location: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ

TV: FOX Sports Southeast, FOX Sports Arizona

Streaming: NBA League Pass, FOX Sports Go

That has resulted in an above-average defense and, for the first time since the Steve Nash era, a top-three offense. Devin Booker, long condemned as a gunner whose play didn’t affect winning, is benefitting from having better weapons around him, but has made material changes to his game as well. The 23-year-old is more consistently hitting the mark as a passer and engaging on defense in a way he never has. Booker is having the most efficient season of his career, taking a higher share of shots at the rim and benefitting from having other threats off of whom to play.

He isn’t handling as much offensive responsibility as he has in the past, but as a result his shots are cleaner and more organic. Booker’s pick-and-roll frequency has dropped from 34.5 percent in 2019 to just under 22 percent this year, and is one of the league’s deadliest shooters out of handoff actions:

Kevin Huerter’s availability will be major factor for Atlanta on Thursday. While the Hawks will likely give Booker different looks defensively, Huerter’s size and quickness could make him one of Atlanta’s better defensive options. De’Andre Hunter has spent much of his time at power forward during the current road trip, which could make it difficult to toggle the matchups if he’s Booker’s primary defender in smaller alignments.

Booker and the Suns are benefitting from unsustainably hot shooting early; their efficiency will come back to earth – especially Booker’s 51 percent mark from 3. But so long as they continue to generate quality shots, the dropoff shouldn’t be as steep as it might be for other teams. The Suns lead the NBA in pbpstats.com’s shot quality metric and take nearly three-quarters of their shots from 3 or at the rim. Where the Hawks negate a solid offensive process with turnovers and missed shots, Phoenix has capitalized on its open shots and taken better care of the ball. The two teams will likely trend in opposite directions over the rest of the season as they each regress toward the mean; Phoenix’s defense in particular could falter once Ayton returns and the Hawks appear bound for brighter days offensively.

The Suns have been the biggest surprise of the NBA season to date while Atlanta has given fleeting indications that it could, eventually, exceed expectations in a similar way. Both teams, however, appear to be steadily working toward justifying optimistic outlooks to begin with.