Three Observations Through Three Phoenix Suns Games

Through three games the Phoenix Suns have shown room for improvement and answered some must-know questions.

Author:
Spencer Cihak
Oct 25, 2022 9:56 AM EDT

In this story:

Phoenix Suns basketball is back on!

After a revenge-filled opening night, a frustrating overtime loss, and a commanding win, what to expect in the Valley of the sun has become a little more clear. Here are the biggest flaws and successes the Suns have shown through three.

Opponents Will be Scoring Three's

In their loss to the Adelaide 36ers, the Suns were defeated by sharp shooting and since then (while slowly improving) that still remains the squads biggest defensive hole.

The Mavericks and Trail Blazers went a combined 24-62 (38%) and put the Suns ranked at 17th in opponent 3-point percentage. Sunday showed a much better overall performance from the Clippers at 9-32 (28.1%) and raised the Suns to 12th. The Suns have had this issue while still keeping their opponents to the fourth lowest scoring average at 104.3 a game.

It’s a small sample size but this has not improved enough since the preseason.

Finding Continuity

The Suns starting five this year have looked solid separately but currently ranks 15th in points among five-player lineups and 28th overall in the plus/minus. They look like they are finding their flow and playing a team like the Clippers who through three have scored the least amount of points and given up the 5th most.

Someone was always hurt through most of the preseason so this is not an overall surprise so far but playing Golden State will be a big wake-up call.

Damion Lee

Damion Lee’s dramatic game-clinching shot on Wednesday is well documented and he’s followed up that with continuous solid performances and has always ended in the positive on the plus/minus so far this season.

His presence has calmed those worried about what Cam Johnson moving to the starting position would do to the bench. It’ll be exciting to see what he does to his former team in the Golden State Warriors.

Other Quick Notes

Congratulations to Devin Booker for scoring the most points in the first three games of the season in franchise history

I think it is too soon to worry about Chris Paul’s shooting this season. Yes, it has been cold so far but he’s not hogging shots and still is creating them offensively and defensively has looked great, especially in transition.

The Suns do not need to be concerned overall with their shooting at the charity line, ranking 6th in the league at 81.8% through three.

Even with the loss on Friday being accredited to Ayton missing a couple of free throws the Suns rank 6th in free throw percentage.

The Golden State Warriors have scored the second-most average points through three and have given up the sixth most making what should be a competitive match-up tomorrow and a big test to see what's ahead.

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