Phoenix Suns: 3 reasons signing Trevor Ariza was a good move

3. Positional versatility in a small-ball league

One could argue the Suns had a greater need to improve at the 4 rather than add yet another wing to the roster. The good news is, even for those who have already given up on the 20-year-old Dragan Bender and the 21-year-old Marquese Chriss, Ariza should spend plenty of time as a small-ball 4.

At 6’8″, Ariza regularly played in undersized lineups with the Houston Rockets whenever Mike D’Antoni went small. Although he’s no P.J. Tucker in terms of being able to log the majority of his minutes at the 4 or the 5, he’ll certainly be able to give the Suns another look when more traditional lineups with Bender or Chriss at power forward aren’t working.

Take a look at the four teams that made the conference finals last year and you’ll notice they all had a plethora of wings whose shooting, ball-handling, passing and defensive versatility allowed their smaller lineups to switch on defense and force lumbering bigs off the floor on offense.

The Suns’ wings don’t quite have those same necessary skill-sets. Jackson and Warren can’t shoot, Booker, Daniels and Warren don’t defend and neither Warren nor Daniels have shown any signs of playmaking ability. Bridges is a rookie and Reed spent most of his first year injured, so as much as they project to provide the 3-and-D skill-set, they’re not there yet.

As such, adding an experienced wing like Ariza, who can play at the 2, 3 or 4, unlocks a myriad of lineup options for Kokoskov. In manageable minutes as a small-ball 4, Ariza will be able to spread the floor for last year’s 30th-ranked offense and help the league’s 30th-ranked defense switch more on the other end of the floor.

Having wing depth with complementary skill-sets is a premium in the NBA, and though Booker, Jackson, Warren, Daniels, Bridges and Reed are all flawed or inexperienced in their own ways, by adding Ariza to the equation, the Suns are one step closer to discovering small-ball success.