Suns Finish No. 2 in Starting Lineup Rankings
The Phoenix Suns are off to a hot start to begin the 2022-23 regular season, although a few bumps in the road still exist.
The recent injury to Cam Johnson, who is expected to miss one-to-two months with a torn meniscus, shuffles Phoenix's lineup to Torrey Craig as a starter with Dario Saric occupying more minutes.
Time will tell if the Suns will be able to navigate the next few weeks without Johnson, but for the time being, Phoenix finishes quite high in Bleacher Report's starting lineup rankings.
Suns Rank No. 2 in Starting Lineup Rankings
Here's what Bleacher Report offered on Phoenix's lineup, which trailed only the Milwaukee Bucks:
Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and Deandre Ayton
Net Rating: +33.1
"Unfortunately, a torn meniscus for Cameron Johnson will keep him out for one to two months and severely limit the amount of time this lineup will see the floor in 2022-23. It’s a shame, because this combination was completely dominating its competition," said Andy Bailey.
"Chris Paul hasn't been scoring as much (or as efficiently), but he's still providing a steady hand and the third-highest assist average in the league. Devin Booker is probably the leader in the clubhouse for the “best shooting guard in the league” title.
"Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges are (or in Johnson’s case, were) providing plenty of positionless three-and-D production. And Deandre Ayton is providing some solid backline defense when surrounded by the rest of the starters.
"Torrey Craig will likely slide into Johnson’s spot now. And while he’s long been a solid defender, his career three-point percentage (33.2) suggests he’s far less reliable from deep. If we revisit this in a few weeks, there’s a decent chance Phoenix will be lower."
The Suns finished ahead of Golden State, Denver and Memphis to round out the top five.
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