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The little things have become a major problem in the last two weeks, especially the effort on the defensive side. After six consecutive defeats in defeat, the Phoenix Suns finally showed a constant fight against Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors.
According to my usual recap format, what were the "Thumbs Up" and "Thumbs Down" arguments of The Suns compared to Toronto? Let's badyze everything below.
Thumbs up: Finally, head coach Igor Kokoskov finally ended his current rotation and made changes to it. Richaun Holmes is not only the center of the second unit ahead of Tyson Chandler, but we see more and more Elie Okobo and less Jamal Crawford supporting Isaiah Canaan. In addition, I noticed that Kokoskov did his best to shift the minutes between Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, keeping a spot most of the time. It's a smart decision, especially when you see what's not happening on the ground.
It only took seven games in Kokoskov, but he finally did what was for the benefit of the training. Fewer veterans and more energetic young players filling their minutes. It's a step in the right direction after their disastrous start.
Thumbs down: Josh Jackson's role was reduced when we saw Mikal Bridges appear before him, but his play continues to prove why his minutes should continue to dwindle. All the other players besides Jackson had an excellent selection of shots, but Jackson's shots were the usual decisions. Jackson's erratic mid-range jumper has come in, but his pace is off-beat and it's easy to notice. The Suns' # 4 pick in 2017 has had some great third quarter shifts, but it's still the worst Suns wing ever.
Jackson finished with 11 points and 3 rebounds on 5-8 goals in just 11 minutes. His role has definitely been reduced, and performances like this one on limited occasions will have to be fulfilled for Jackson to gain his place in the renewed rotation of Kokoskov.
Thumbs up: Although Ayton's defense has been mediocre to say the least, we'll talk about it later, but he continues to produce effectively with the keys provided. Ayton has already scored his double-double at half-time, but ended tonight's game with 17 points and 18 rebounds in 7-10 attempts. And it must be said that Ayton needs more than 10 shots and must become a key score option alongside Booker.
Ayton's production is also vital to the Suns offensive as a whole. At each Ayton outing, their pace and spacing seemed to have been turned upside down. This is really the first game where Ayton's gravity effect helped the others, and four of the five starters finished on doubles. No wonder when Ayton returned, Phoenix would shop.
Thumbs down: Although Ayton was excellent in scoring and providing space for the others, he still struggled to protect the edge. I will say though that he had an impressive run against Jonas Valanciunas in the third quarter, where he stayed in his airspace, forced a late shot and blocked him with emphasis. Canaan ran right after Ayton did so and hit him in the chest several times to bail him out, but that's exactly the kind of moment you want to get out of the defense.
But back to the negative things, because Ayton always observes the ball too often, which allows his man a way of easy driving. These are the little things with their number one choice, but they go very far towards it to reach its amazingly high ceiling.
Thumbs up: Isaiah Canaan played with a steady hand that returned to the starting lineup after suffering ankle injury in Oklahoma City. Canaan played not only in the flow of the offensive, but he was a reliable player whenever Phoenix needed a bucket. Canaan finished with 19 points, scoring 66.7% of shooting opportunities. Another area that I have noticed is the frequency with which Canaan played off-ball, which continues to climb as Booker feels more comfortable in Kokoskov's very movement-oriented scheme.
Canaan is simply an alternative for the moment, but it is not negative.
Thumbs down: Booker returned Friday night against the Raptors, but he was definitely not in perfect health. Several times during the game, Booker gripped his hamstrings and had a slight limp for a few moments before returning to the game. Booker finished with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 6 badists on 8-20 attempts.
Booker had many more playmaking tasks to manage, and that always seems to be different in this role. Until the exchange of guards is done (D'Angelo Russell? John Wall?), The Suns will continue to fight and more importantly, Booker will try to make the most of his strength.
If there was a match to be won imperatively in November, Phoenix's next two matches against Memphis and Brooklyn are exactly what they are. Subsequently, their schedule becomes even more difficult as they place themselves at the bottom of the Western Conference rankings.
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