For Better Or Worse, Phoenix Suns Commit To Vision

Will Size Kill?

With small-ball comes an inevitable question: can the Phoenix Suns win when the game slows down in the playoffs?

If they are proficient in the half-court, an even bigger question arises: do the Suns have the size to compete in the Western Conference?

The West is known for its up-tempo offenses, but that doesn’t tell the entire story.

Big men such as LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan, Marc Gasol, Blake Griffin, Dwight Howard, Serge Ibaka, Dirk Nowitzki and Zach Randolph have shown the ability to take over playoff games on one end or the other.

Phoenix doesn’t have that type of talent down low.

Miles Plumlee was a pleasant surprise in 2013-14. He averaged 7.8 rebounds in 24.6 minutes and held opponents to 49.9 percent shooting when he met them at the rim.

Even as a 7’0″ center, however, Plumlee couldn’t prevent Phoenix from ranking No. 26 in opponent points in the paint per game.

Markieff Morris was re-signed for big money, but he’s more of a floor-spacing four. He’s certainly capable of entering an offensive battle with a scoring four, but flaws exist on defense.

That leaves one player under pressure to step up: Alex Len.

The Suns selected Len at No. 5 overall in 2013 to become the franchise center. He’s 7’1″, athletic, skilled offensively and a dominant shot blocker, but that hasn’t translated well to the association.

Len played in 42 games as a rookie, starting three and averaging just 8.6 minutes per contest.

If Len doesn’t begin to show flashes of star-caliber ball, the Suns’ exciting offense could be neutralized by its shaky-at-best defense and absence of size.