Phoenix Suns: Brandon Knight’s Baffling Beginnings
The Phoenix Suns get a much different Brandon Knight in the second halves of games, but why?
When the Phoenix Suns acquired Brandon Knight, they were hoping to address their need for more 3-point shooting, specifically to help take pressure off of Eric Bledsoe in close games. Through the first nine games of the 2015-16 NBA season, Knight has held up his end of the bargain, but his first halves have been substandard.
The splits are scary — as if Knight is a completely different player — when you look at the first vs. second half stats. Knight shoots 11.2 percent better from the field, 15.9 percent better from the 3-point line and 13.1 percent better from the foul line in the second halves of games.
IT’S NOT AN ISSUE WITH FIT
At first, one might think that Knight is simply struggling to fit in with Bledsoe. Going from being the primary ballhandler and playmaker to playing more off the ball definitely requires a different mindset, but the numbers show us that’s not the case.
Knight shoots 40 percent from the 3-point line (18-for-45) with Bledsoe on the court, and 14 of those makes are assisted. When Bledsoe sits, Knight’s success dips significantly, down to 29.4 percent (5-for-17), with two of the makes being assisted.
It’s not just beyond the arc, either — Knight’s overall field goal percentage spikes 7.1 percent when he’s paired with Bledsoe.
HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS
Coach Jeff Hornacek hasn’t gotten a ton of credit for his X’s and O’s, but it’s notable how the Suns have been able to turn up their intensity on the offensive side after halftime.
Despite an almost equal pace (103.66 to 103.57), the Suns offensive rating jumps from 96.6 up to 101.1 in the second half. Phoenix scores 3.1 more points in the paint in the second half and they shoot 45.5 percent from the field as a whole (compared to 42.6 in the first half).
Whether Knight is the benefactor or the catalyst for change is debatable, but he’s definitely reaping the benefits of the second-half offensive surge.
FAVORABLE MATCHUPS
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There is something to be said for having a player the caliber of Bledsoe to feed off of. The fact that he’s having an All-Star worthy season (23.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.1 steals per game) is terrific for a player like Knight, as he’ll never draw the tougher guard matchup on either end of the court.
Saturday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets was a good example of this. In the third quarter, Knight scored 10 points in just under seven minutes (Bledsoe scored 14 in the quarter) against a Denver backcourt that featured Emmanuel Mudiay, Gary Harris, Jameer Nelson and Randy Foye — not exactly a murderer’s row of defenders.
There could be a deeper reason for Knight’s success in the second half as it relates to matchups. As Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic wrote, the Suns have played eight of 11 games at home and three of the four games on the current homestand feature teams on a back-to-back, while the Suns have rested the previous night.
Fresh, young legs are going to thrive later in games. The Suns have played a back-to-back just once so far this season, on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers. Knight scored 17 of his 27 points in the second half and went a perfect 3-for-3 (8 points) in the fourth quarter.