Adjustments Suns Can Make Ahead of Game 3
The Phoenix Suns need to do this moving forward.
The Phoenix Suns are in pursuit of a sixth playoff series victory since the 2020-21 season - and this one in particular appears to be a battle like no other against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Suns were thoroughly handled in the first two games in Minnesota - in turn that has dimmed the outlook of many members of the Suns fandom.
The Suns are ultimately down, but they aren't out of it. They simply need to win Game 3 tonight in front of the Footprint Center crowd to reinvigorate the fan-base - and perhaps more importantly the team in need of a jolt going forward.
Three adjustments the coaching staff can make going into the game tomorrow night to right the ship:
3: Increase Three-Point Volume
The Miami Heat last night were a key point of evidence that putting pressure on the perimeter means as much as pressuring the rim in a playoff setting.
The Jimmy Butler-less Heat team just stunned the juggernaut Boston Celtics behind 43 three-point attempts - they connected on 22 of them.
Caleb Martin, Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Haywood Highsmith combined to hit 14 of the 22 total makes - this is simply more evidence that "role players" can get hot when given quality looks.
Royce O'Neale, Eric Gordon, perhaps even Bol Bol (if given minutes) could benefit heavily - and have the capacity to tilt the outcome of the game in the Suns' favor.
2. Find Ways to Beat Wolves in Transition
This is easier said than done as Minnesota is phenomenal in getting back on defense and are obviously a very disciplined squad.
However, the Suns need to try to find points of attack in the early parts of the shot clock - push the pace, find ways to get Kevin Durant strong looks off of pin-downs/flash screens, and feeding well-timed cutters at the hoop at opportune times.
It won't be the easiest feat to conquer, but the Suns need to find ways to speed Minnesota up and force them to play a run-and-gun game in which volume will be key.
1. Start Royce O'Neale
As we stated in a recent mailbag, we believe that O'Neale should get the starting nod over regular starter Grayson Allen if/when Phoenix fell behind 2-0 - and now that proposition could be even clearer since Allen is dealing with an ankle sprain that got aggravated again on Tuesday.
O'Neale is simply a better matchup against Minnesota - and it seems as if he is more comfortable in Durant-led lineups compared to other combinations.
O'Neale could be a true wild card if handed the start on Friday night - he could be the guy that flips the script on the series behind multiple three-point hits and potential disruption of Jaden McDaniels' rise in the early stages of this series.
