Phoenix Suns: 2015-16 Season Outlook

Three Key Storylines (cont.)

2. What’s the deal with the dual point guard thing?

For the third year in a row, the Suns will rely on multiple point guards. In 2013-14, Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe nearly dragged Phoenix into the playoffs.

Last season, adding Isaiah Thomas to the Dragic-Bledsoe mix killed the chemistry.

Now, with Dragic in Miami, it will be Brandon Knight who will partner with Bledsoe to form a true two-combo-guard backcourt.

Bledsoe and Knight didn’t get a lot of time together last season—just 11 games and 235 minutes before Knight went down with a season-ending ankle injury. The duo played to a per-48 minute differential of minus-2.5.

In theory, though, the combination could work. Bledsoe is much more active as a penetrator than Knight, attempting 46.7 percent of his shots last season from 10 feet and in.

Knight, conversely, took 34.4 percent of his shots from that range and 58.3 percent from 16 feet and beyond. That’s an area where Bledsoe took 46.3 percent of his attempts.

Knight was a 40 percent shooter from 3-point range in catch-and-shoot situations, while Bledsoe hit 31.9 percent in those situations, per NBA.com’s player tracking statistics.

So while Knight may be listed as a point guard, it appears he and Bledsoe might be suited for a more traditional point guard-shooting guard sharing arrangement.

The problems the duo may encounter will be on the defensive end, where the 6-foot-3 Knight and the 6-foot-1 Bledsoe may be giving up a lot of size on an almost nightly basis.

In the 21st century, where pace and small-ball are in vogue, however, that might not be as big an issue as it might have been in a different era.

Next: Storyline: What Does Chandler Bring?