Phoenix Suns: Grading Each Player’s Performance in 2012-13
Watching the 2012-13 Phoenix Suns this season was one of the more agonizing things I’ve ever had to do in my life as a basketball fan. Not because the Suns were that terrible or because they finished at the bottom of the Western Conference this season, but because they showed so many flashes of brilliance and were actually fairly competitive at times with certain lineups on the floor.
It’s also important to note that the Suns’ record is somewhat misleading since the team went into full-on tank mode, losing 16 of their last 19 games (and at one point, 10 straight). But as much promise as the new-look Suns showed at times and as much as their record may have been better barring the tanking, we also can’t ignore some disturbing facts from this past season.
First of all, Phoenix hasn’t had a record this bad since their inaugural season in 1968-69, when they were an expansion team that won 16 games. Sure, the Suns’ 25-57 record this season is a step up from that historically low mark, but we also have to consider their point differential of minus-6.5 points per game, which puts them ahead of only Charlotte and Orlando for worst in the league.
And when you throw in the fact that the Steve Nash “trade” backfired after temporarily looking like a stroke of genius that would have given Phoenix a lottery pick had the Lakers missed the postseason, it’s not difficult to identify this season as one of the worst years in Phoenix Suns history. But in the spirit of rebuilding and positivity, let’s break down each players’ performance this season:
No surprises here. It’s nothing personal against Michael Beasley. He’s proven himself to be a surprisingly good teammate (like when he came to Goran Dragic‘s side in a spat with the Clippers that resulted in ejection) and his teammates have spoken about his great work ethic and basketball intelligence. But in spite of all of this, Beasley has been nothing short of disappointing in his time in the NBA.
As the No. 2 draft pick in 2008, people expected big things. This was going to be a fresh start for a player who underwhelmed fans, but it didn’t take long for “Black Hole Beasley” to fall out of Alvin Gentry’s rotation because of his matador-style defense and his trigger-happy tendencies on the offensive end. For every great night Beasley had, he had 10 more where he seriously hurt the Suns’ offensive rhythm and bricked them out of games.
Beasley may be able to reinvent himself in the future as a role player for a team that can get by with his lack of defense in favor of letting him hoist up as many shots as he wants. After all, when Lindsey Hunter reinserted him into a bench role later in the season with the simple instruction, “Just shoot,” he was a contributor whose defensive problems weren’t as destructive. But the rebuilding Suns are not the team that can turn Beasley’s career around after he put up career lows in points per game, rebounds per game and field goal percentage.
Shannon Brown: C-
Brown is hard to peg because he’s one of the streakiest shooters in the league and because Hunter pretty much glued him to the bench down the stretch of the season. But that’s probably why Brown didn’t deserve a higher grade: His inconsistent shooting was pretty indicative of his game as a whole this season.
Much like Beasley (and even more so at times), Brown often took any and every shot that came his way if his defender gave him even an inch of space, shown by his average of 9.2 field goal attempts per game in just 24 minutes per contest. He shot a respectable 42 percent from the floor, but his 3-point shooting was definitely an area for improvement as Brown connected on just 28 percent of his 3-pointers. That wouldn’t be so bad…if he hadn’t jacked up 2.4 of them per game.
Add that to some shaky defense and Brown lands himself in the middle of the pack.
Goran Dragic: B
I’ve already written about how Goran Dragic was the only bright spot from the Phoenix Suns’ 2012-13 season, but it’s important to note that he wasn’t perfect either. Dragic has a long way to go before he’s mentioned in the top half of point guards in the league on a regular basis, even though his potential is really all that’s keeping Suns fans sane right now.
Dragic led the Suns in scoring, assists and steals this season and was their most consistent piece all year. His smaller stature nearly overshadows his improved defense and he still need to keep his confidence up and realize when his team needs him to take over. Dragic is one of the least charismatic players in the league with that much talent, even though he’s come up big in the past. For example, this game-winner against Memphis:
Jared Dudley: C+
Dudley gets a little more love as a fan favorite who hustles his butt off night in and night out. In the Suns’ first season without defensive stopper Grant Hill in the lineup, a lot of that defensive pressure fell onto Jared Dudley this year, with mixed results.
Dudley would be a terrific role player on a team like the Spurs or the Heat, where he could just shoot jumpers and 3s without the added responsibility of playing defense and creating his own shot. The truth is, on a playoff team, Jared Dudley is not a starter. But he would be terrific coming off the bench for a contender, as evidenced by his 47 percent shooting from the floor and a respectable 39 percent from long range. Dudley is really a one-dimensional player, only putting up 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game this season, but until the Suns bring in some starting-caliber players, Dudley will continue to be asked to do too much.
Diante Garrett: Incomplete
Garrett didn’t even crack 150 minutes this season, so it’s hard to give him a grade when the majority of his minutes came in garbage time. He’d probably get a low grade if he were given starter’s minutes, but since that’d be unfair, we’ll just chalk that up to an “incomplete.”
Marcin Gortat: B-
Gortat got off to a great start this season and was actually leading the league in blocks at one point. But something has to be said of his overall negative attitude about playing for the Suns, the likelihood that he’ll be traded sometime in the near future and his recurring tendency of disappearing on both ends of the floor.
Dragic has the most potential, but Gortat is probably the one Suns player with the most talent right now. To see him waste that kind of potential with a mediocre 11.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game after posting 15.4 points and 10 rebounds last season is frustrating.
Like Amar’e Stoudemire, Marcin Gortat is most likely feeling the Steve Nash effect: When a talented point guard who frees up so many open looks at the rim leaves, that big man’s production is likely to take a hit. And just like Stoudemire, Gortat is too good of a player to let that happen, which makes his fall in production even more disappointing. Especially with so many pick-and-roll highlights to reminisce with:
Hamed Haddadi: C-
Okay, so maybe giving Hamed Haddadi a C- is cutting him a little too much slack, but what can I say? I like the guy. The way he asked his coach after taking an ill-advised jumper whether he could do that, his all-around sense of humor and his outstanding blue-collar effort for a banged up and aging Phoenix frontcourt in spite of the fact that he’s not the most talented guy in the world make him a personal favorite of mine.
Sure, he’s a third-string center and yes, I understand he won’t ever make it as a star in this league. But Haddadi actually gave a damn and played like it, so I give him props for playing with more heart than most players on a struggling team ever would.
Wesley Johnson: C+
Johnson moves up to a C+ after showing signs of promise at the end of the season. In March and April, Johnson averaged 13 points per game, even though his 3-point shooting percentage left a lot to be desired. Johnson is a so-so defender, but that’ actually enough to put him at the top of the list of Phoenix’s top defenders. If he can be more consistent from 3-point range and become a more consistent scorer, he’ll be a decent reserve.
But like Jared Dudley, the Suns will likely need too much from Johnson with a lack of talent immediately available.
Kendall Marshall: D+
Maybe this is a little too harsh for a rookie who performed decently once he got more minutes following the Sebastian Telfair trade, but Marshall’s defense is that non-existent. His passing ability is developing just fine and he has a respectable stroke (despite it being so aesthetically displeasing), but his it was remarkable how many point guards, and even backup point guards that he made look like superstars by attempting to guard them.
Most rookies aren’t defensive stoppers in their first year in the league and he will most likely be fully adjusted to the game by next season, but if we’re comparing Marshall to the rest of the guards in the league right now, there’s plenty of room for improvement.
Marcus Morris: D+
Maybe this D+ is a little unfair since Marcus Morris hasn’t played a full (or even a half) season with the Suns yet. Maybe this is aimed primarily at management for deciding that one copy of an identical player wasn’t enough that is more disappointing that Marcus Morris actually was. But unless the player you want to have an identical copy of is LeBron James or Kevin Durant, it probably isn’t a good idea. And like his brother, Marc Morris No. 2 hasn’t exactly blown fans away just yet.
Morris has shown he can knock down long-range jumpers and draw opposing big men out of the lane, but the Suns are in for another rough season if they’re starting two unproven Morris brothers next year.
As for Mark Morris No. 1, I will be the first to admit that he’s made a lot of improvements to his game since being drafted in 2011. His post moves have gotten a lot better, he’s shown more consistency in knocking down his jumpers and his defense has slowly but surely shown signs of getting better.
However, just take a look at this list of candidates from the draft that were picked after the Morris twins who the Suns would more than likely love to have instead: Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Vucevic, Iman Shumpert, Tobias Harris, Kenneth Faried, Norris Cole, Jimmy Butler and Chandler Parsons. No offense to Morris as he continues to develop his game, but suddenly that C grade seems a little bit generous.
Jermaine O’Neal is a great teammate and veteran leader for such a new team. Jermaine O’Neal has played stretches of brilliant interior defense against superstars like Dwight Howard and been the difference in a few wins. And once Marcin Gortat went down with his season-ending injury, O’Neal stepped up as a starter.
Granted, he was a starter for a team in tank mode, but still. His effort should be commended. However, for all that effort and production despite being so far past his prime, Jermaine O’Neal’s 2012-13 season will only be remembered by one word: “Goaltend.”
Luis Scola: B-
Scola wasn’t my favorite pickup in the world for the Suns. His creativity in the paint with his post moves, his dexterity at getting open looks over bigger defenders in the paint and his steady offensive production were all welcome additions, but every time he was on the floor, the opposing team’s power forward seemed to turn into Karl Malone on the other end. Simply put: Luis Scola’s interior defense needs some work.
However, once I got over that fact (and accepted the Suns’ fate near the bottom of the West), it was pretty obvious that Scola was one of the best players on the team. He started knocking down his elbow and baseline jumpers more regularly, a shot that was often pretty wide open thanks to Dragic’s penetration, good ball movement and/or defenders giving Scola too much space to cut off the drive to the basket. His 6.6 rebounds per game this season leave a lot of room for improvement for a guy his size, but at this point, we have to accept Scola as a proven starter for a struggling team in search of consistency.
P.J. Tucker: C+
Last but not least, we have P.J. Tucker, who played 17 games in 2006-07 for the Toronto Raptors before playing overseas. In his return to the NBA, Tucker quickly proved himself as a workhorse on both ends of the floor. Tucker was easily the Suns go-to defensive stopper, surprised some people by knocking down a 3-pointer every now and then and showing off an impressive array of moves in attacking the basket.
Tucker was effective, shooting 47 percent from the floor and although he won’t get the credit he deserves from around the league, Tucker may be an instrumental piece in the Suns rebuilding process.