How Suns Can Get Back on Track vs Timberwolves
Editors note: Bradley Beal has been ruled out for tonight.
The Phoenix Suns are playing the final game of their three-game homestand tonight against a Minnesota Timberwolves team that hasn't lost a game since October 30.
Last season's eight seed in the Western Conference looks to be revitalized under coach David Finch, and the expected return of Devin Booker makes this potentially the matchup of the night to watch across the NBA.
The number one defense versus the potential number one offense as full strength.
While the Wolves' defense facing off against the Suns' star power will grab the most attention, the Suns obviously must do other things well to feel good about getting the win.
Phoenix's big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal will obviously carry their weight, but becoming too reliant on the firepower the three can bring may set a poor precedent.
Here are three keys to the Suns picking up a victory tonight:
Keep Towns at Bay
Karl-Anthony Towns has had a rough go the past two seasons.
The former number one overall pick was once seen as the player that the majority of NBA general managers would want to build around, but has fallen from grace as of late.
The Kentucky product was well on his way to superstardom, averaging as much as 26.6 points per game on good efficiency in 2019-20, while also improving defensively every year.
The aforementioned rough stretch for Towns included near career-worst scoring volume, efficiency, and defense. Virtually the only thing that has gone up is free throw percentages.
Towns also got off to a slow start this season, but has rebounded nicely as of late, stringing together four straight standout performances.
While Anthony Edwards has officially taken the reigns of the Wolves, Towns is still a very important piece of what the team does, and the Suns likely can't afford the big man to heat up from behind there arc.
A 30-point Towns performance would almost certainly put the Suns in a tough position to eek out a win.
Attack Paint With Care
If the Suns have improved in any single category from last season, the ability to attack the paint and pressure the rim certainly comes to mind. Players such as Grayson Allen have been fearless in attempts to stretch the defense thin with dribble-drives, and while the rim pressure still isn't at an ideal volume level, Durant and more have flashed the ability to do so.
The Wolves are the toughest test the Suns have faced when it comes to many fronts, but especially when it comes to penetrating and finishing at the rim.
Jaden McDaniels, Anthony Edwards, and co form a group of versatile/relentless perimeter defenders that make life extremely difficult at the point-of-attack. It will be quite difficult to break the defense down simply off of dribble drives.
If the Suns are in fact successful in penetrating to the paint, whether it is through dribble-drives or shrewd off-ball cuts, they must be selective when it comes to actually trying to finish at or near the hoop (namely in Gobert minutes.)
Gobert isn't just one of the best shot blockers of this era, he can simply just force misses and affect the way the ball is shot at will.
Frank Vogel's best plan-of-attack just might have to be to experiment with five-out sets, sacrificing height and physicality for versatility.
Look to Get Fifth Starter Involved Offensively
The role of fifth starter is still apparently an open competition, as there hasn't been any clarity on who will fill that spot with Booker's return.
One thing is fairly certain: it won't be Josh Okogie. While Okogie is a great defender and brings infectious energy, his offense has taken a dip even compared to last season.
The starter is very likely to be one of Keita Bates-Diop, Eric Gordon, or Allen. All three are talented players that bring value to the court, but the Suns' stars must look to get whoever is starting involved in the offense regardless.
All three are rhythm scorers to various degrees and typically need to get into a groove early to make a game-changing impact. Well, it should be quite simple to get any of the three great looks with the space created just by the scoring gravity the three stars have.
Gordon, Allen, and Bates-Diop have all been quality pieces early on- any one of the three players could become even more dangerous with this hopefully commonplace lineup arrangement around the three stars.
