Phoenix Suns: 5 areas in need of major improvement early on
5. Playing Richaun Holmes over Tyson Chandler
Kokokov’s rotations came under fire pretty quickly, with his trust in an underwhelming veteran group being at the center of that criticism. A quick look at the stat sheet, even in a small sample size, shows why.
The most egregious offender of the more experienced vets was probably backup center Tyson Chandler, if not by plus/minus then certainly by the eye test. The struggles of the second unit are a matter worth covering all on their own (and we’ll certainly get there), but Chandler’s minutes were an obvious eyesore.
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In 89 his minutes off the bench, the Suns were outscored by 67 points. His -32.4 Net Rating when on the court was worse than everyone except Jamal Crawford and rookie De’Anthony Melton (who only played 22 minutes by comparison).
Compare that to Richaun Holmes, Kokoskov’s alternative to soak up minutes behind Deandre Ayton, who has been a -4 in 38 minutes. The Suns only have a Net Rating of -3.6 with him on the court, compared to a -14.4 Net Rating when he sits. These numbers don’t prove Holmes is a good player, especially in such a small sample size, but they’re far more favorable than Chandler’s.
Fortunately, there’s a chance Kokoskov will be limiting the minutes of a 36-year-old Chandler who’s clearly lost a step (or seven). Against the Raptors Friday night, Holmes was the first center to check in, while Chandler received a DNP-CD.
When asked about what prompted the rotation change, Kokoskov replied, “Just matchups.” It was mostly about having someone more mobile to match up with Jonas Valanciunas, but hopefully those “matchups” continue to indicate Holmes as the superior option.
It should be evident by now that every “matchup” would be more favorable with him playing over Chandler. Holmes may be cut up on the defensive end from time to time, but that’s far more preferable than the complete hemorrhaging that occurs whenever Chandler takes the floor.