Phoenix Suns: 5 Steps To Reaching The Playoffs
1. Bledsoe And Knight Meshing
In 2015-16, the Phoenix Suns will go as the Bledsoe-Knight backcourt goes. Those shooters do the team no good if Phoenix’s two starting point guards are unable to beat their defenders off the dribble, force the help defense and find the open man. From pick-and-pops to attacking the basket to drawing defenses in and moving the ball, Phoenix’s offense starts and ends with their guards.
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Valley of the Suns
In 2013-14, the Suns took the league by storm with a healthy Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe blitzing defenses with dribble-drive offense that found open three-point shooters and earned them the “Slash Brothers” moniker.
The Dragon helped the Suns win 48 games with Bledsoe missing half the season, so Bledsoe has a lot of prove after we saw what became of Phoenix when Dragic left and Bledsoe was fully in charge.
The Suns are once again all in on their dual point guard backcourt, but will this new pairing be as bountiful as the Dragic-Bledsoe partnership? Or will last year’s unimpressive 11-game sample size of Knight and Bled be the trend in 2015-16?
"“I think it’s a very big threat just to have two guys that can attack you from both sides of the court, different parts of the court at the same time,” Knight said. “It takes a lot of pressure off of each individual. I think it’s probably the first time that I’ve played with another guard that can really put pressure on the defense the same way that I can and I think it’ll help my game offensively and I think I can help his game offensively as well because you can’t really key in on one guy. “I think it just makes it easier and we’re gonna take the pressure off our teammates as well, with Markieff being able to shoot the ball, with Teletovic being able to shoot the ball, we’ve got a lot of shooters this year that can really stretch the floor and we’ve got Tyson rolling down the middle, our offensive game will be special.”"
Bledsoe is a well-rounded stud who joined LeBron James, James Harden and Russell Westbrook as the only players to put up a 17-6-5 stat line last season. He’s a terrific defender and when engaged, he’s a top-10 point guard in this league. Knight can only claim to have almost been an Eastern Conference All-Star, but he’s a superior perimeter shooter who takes better care of the ball.
The Suns are banking on those skills meshing into the kind of versatile backcourt that can catch defenses off guard and help initiate a more active offense than we saw last year.
With both players locked in for the long-term, Phoenix’s future success — both in 2015-16 and over the long-term — hinges on Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight meshing to form one of the league’s best backcourts.
Next: NBA Power Rankings: Opening Week
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