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Memphis Grizzlies goalie Tim Frazier (12) shoots past Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (22) in the first half of an NBA basketball game on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, in Memphis, TN (AP Photo / Brandon Dill)
The Phoenix Suns will want to see one trend develop and another fade after Monday’s 108-104 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Deandre Ayton showed new aggression around the rim, producing five dunks to almost tie his total of seven in the first 11 games. The Suns would love to see this continue.
Phoenix’s last three losses have now all been brutal: an overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons, a blowout at the hands of the Washington Wizards and a very winnable game on Monday. The Suns wish this didn’t continue.
We’ll start with the big guy.
When you think of “Dominayton,” you naturally first head to those games where Ayton, well, dominates. Showing 30 points and 20 rebounds. Nights like this.
But games like Monday’s are just as important as these because Ayton’s assault made up for some of his shortcomings elsewhere.
Ayton has had the most post touches he has had in a game so far, with mixed results. It was in an effort to capitalize on Grizzlies starting rookie second-round pick Xavier Tillman.
Ayton went to the jumper a bit, often moving away from the basket thanks to his footwork.
A possession in the third quarter, however, sent shockwaves through the valley.
The maximum strength levels Ayton played with on a few possessions is something we’ve never seen before. When Ayton moves and puts his feet under him, he can rise up and explode.
“This is how he has to play,” said Suns head coach Monty Williams. “He’s able to do that every night… To make him play like that – they threw a number of defenses on him tonight and he still played with a great level of strength.” Killing the ball, being aggressive on the edge – that’s how he has to play every night … He was awesome tonight.
During the loss to the Wizards, Ayton had one notable play where he hesitated and just took a midrange jumper despite being presented with plenty of space at the top of the key.
That was quite the contrast to how he took advantage against Memphis.
After a strong wave of criticism in the week the Suns were out of play, Ayton had 18 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, one block and three turnovers on 7 of 14 shots. business is erased by its mentality on certain games, which represents one of its best games of the year. The Suns will absolutely take the inconsistencies for four quarters if those highs are still hit as much as they were on Monday.
“Imma continues to challenge him to be that,” said Suns goalie Chris Paul. “Everyone on our team is so hard on him because we know what he’s capable of. To be one of the greatest in your league, you just need to have consistency, and he’s more than capable of it.
As for the loss, it’s time to put the rare one on Devin Booker.
He shot 5 of 21 from the field, missing three straight shots in tight time and blowing a late defensive mission that would have almost made up for his poor performance.
The defensive error left a great shooter Grayson Allen of Memphis alone in the corner in a draw with less than a minute to go, a game Williams described as “an all-night microcosm.”
Booker or Paul being able to essentially steal an unlucky game like Monday’s is part of the value of having the All-Stars during the regular season. The game’s biggest deficit in the second half was eight points and Phoenix was up three with 6:33 left when Booker checked in.
The 24-year-old was set to shut the door on Memphis, scoring a bucket, helping a Cam Payne three, then setting up two open 3s on the Suns’ next three possessions. Both were missed, so instead of the Suns having 10, it was four.
With a 98-96 lead with 2:15 to go, Booker had a round-trip sideline, missed a dunk and then failed to convert to a three-runner.
Allen’s conversion at 1:09 made it a three-point advantage for the Grizzlies, they would win.
Booker hasn’t performed at the height he deserves to be held for most of the season.
He wore, and I mean door the suns in the darkest times. And even in games where he was playing poorly, those losses weren’t always on him. It’s confusing to see him in such bad shape, clearly pressing in the first quarter and screwing up the basics he hardly ever does.
Ultimately, that’s on him 12 games in the season, but Booker has always been a rhythm-based player. That’s why we saw him at his best in the bubble. The Suns were achieving maximum team cohesion and that allowed him to thrive.
Even after Williams inserted Cam Johnson for Jae Crowder in the starting lineup on Monday, the attack still hasn’t clicked.
“I’m more concerned with what we’re doing in the course of our attack,” Williams said of Booker’s night shoot. “I don’t think we have the ball movement and the body movement.”
The Suns (7-5) had 30 assists, 45.5% and 15 three points. It looks like a solid offensive night, but Phoenix failed to score 30 points in any of the four quarters. The 18 turnovers didn’t help.
The offense is able to find play spurts the right way, as Williams mentioned. The problem has been a constant flow. The Suns forced the ball in Ayton too many times against the Grizzlies (7-6), getting them out of their attack. In a strange twist, their ability to scramble and make quick passes out of those looks was excellent, especially in the second half.
Williams mentioned that the Suns are “finally” looking to defeat the change in the Grizzlies, as multiple defenses and in-game adjustments continue to bother the Suns.
“We just didn’t understand how to play our style consistently,” said Williams. “We see him squirt, but we haven’t seen him for a long time.”
This is where Paul has been a master his entire career, playing the role of a puppeteer to control a game. But besides his chemistry with Booker who hasn’t made it yet, neither has he. with the team as a whole.
“I think that’s probably the game for me,” said Paul of the team’s lack of rhythm on offense. “It’s my responsibility. Six turnovers this shouldn’t happen, but I have to make sure we get quality full length photos.
That’s a turnover Paul has only hit eight times in the past three seasons.
The balance of shots was more where you’d like it, with Booker at 21, Ayton taking 14 and Paul registering 13. It was a happy accident, though, at least.
Paul always played well during the stretches, scoring 16 points with seven assists and three steals. Like Booker, however, he hasn’t reached that All-NBA level that we’re used to seeing from him.
“It’s an emotional process,” Williams said of Paul and Booker together. “From a coach’s point of view, I need them both to be themselves. I think sometimes Chris tries to get everyone involved. He tries to hit DA, tries to hit Book when he just needs to play in the course of our attack.
After the Wizards’ COVID-19 outbreak forced the Suns to postpone their next three games, the loss was Phoenix’s first game in a week. Williams has said a few times that this played a role while noting what they did wrong to lose the game.
But going back to the trends, the story of the season for the Suns has been their offensive ineffectiveness bad enough on some nights to negate their energy and solid defensive performances.
It could easily be a 10-2 basketball team with even just a dash of more offensive spirit, but they don’t have it yet. They had to find him before the casualties continued to mount. They didn’t, and now they’ve given up three out of four frustratingly.
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