Phoenix Suns: The Search For Consistency

Three-Point Shooting

After the All-Star break last season, the Suns were the worst three-point shooting team in the NBA. With the league diving into the pace and space era, which was, ironically enough, started by Steve Nash and Mike D’Antoni right here in Phoenix, general manager Ryan McDonough turned his attention over the offseason to bolstering the team’s perimeter attack.

He drafted Devin Booker, a sharpshooter from Kentucky who was viewed as the best pure shooter of the draft class. He brought in stretch-4s like Jon Leuer and Mirza Teletovic. He re-signed Brandon Knight in the hopes he’d increase his three-point percentage after an underwhelming 11-game Phoenix stint and everyone hoped for internal development from guys like Eric Bledsoe, P.J. Tucker and T.J. Warren.

But so far, the shots just haven’t been falling.

True enough, Phoenix’s three-point percentage of 34.4 percent currently ranks 11th in the NBA. But in that tiny six-game sample size, one monster performance against the Kings skews the percentages. In that game, Phoenix went 14-for-23 (60.9 percent) from deep. In every other game, the Suns have failed to shoot better than 34.4 percent from three-point territory.

To put Phoenix’s poor shooting into context, the Suns have shot 25 percent, 22.2 percent, 34.4 percent, 30 percent and 33.3 percent from deep in the other five games. Throw out the Sacramento game and the Suns would be at 29.5 percent on long range attempts, which would rank them 25th in the NBA right now. Even their current average of 34.4, when compared to a full 82-game season least year, would rank them near the bottom-third.

The problem is not that Phoenix is getting bad looks; it’s that they’re not making their good ones.

"“Yeah well, a lot of them are wide open, can’t complain with that,” head coach Jeff Hornacek said before the Kings game. “We know our guys will make them, we see them in practice, and again, it’s early. “Everybody’s trying to impress early and sometimes if you’re not making them, now you’re pressing a little bit and you’re hoping they go in rather than shooting with that confidence. Again, we feel we’re better shooters than what we’ve shown so far and we think that will improve too.”"

Hornacek’s words proved to be prophetic on that night, but the Suns immediately cratered in their next game against the Detroit Pistons with a 10-for-30 performance Friday night.

According to NBA.com, the Suns are shooting a fantastic 47.1 percent on three-point attempts where their shooter is “wide open” (the nearest defender being 6+ feet away). That’s good news, because 40 of the team’s 54 made three-pointers fit that classification.

But for whatever reason, when that shooter is just “open” (nearest defender being 4-6 feet away), the Suns have shot an abysmal 8-for-47 (17.0 percent) from deep.

“We expect these guys to make the shots and we always tell them, ‘Look, with three-point shots, it really isn’t that difficult,'” Hornacek said. “‘You should shoot a good percentage because when you do your drills, and your coaches are passing you the ball, you’re making six or seven out of 10. So in the game, as long as your teammates drive and hit the open man, you’re going to get an open three.'”

On any three-pointer that hasn’t been “wide open,” the Suns have gone 14-for-72 (19.4 percent). They have the penetrators and passers to free up open looks for teammates, but with the slightest contest, Phoenix’s perimeter attack has gone completely cold. Hornacek said it’s going to be a process as these new players get used to their roles and build that chemistry and confidence.

“Right now our offensive game is probably like my golf game: two of the three things are there,” he said. “We’re getting the point guard penetration, we’re getting the big rolling to the basket, now we just need the shooting to go and once we get that, teams are going to have to make a decision.”

Next: Ball Movement