There is nowhere to hide when defending this Phoenix Suns team.
If all goes according to plan in the Suns’ opening night clash with the Los Angeles Clippers, we will get a great taste for how Mike Budenholzer and Tyus Jones will unlock the Big 3 this season.
That’s because James Harden is exactly the type of defender the Suns should be able to punish all season. Ty Lue and the Clippers will try to limit Harden’s responsibility on the defensive end. Last season, that would have meant stashing him on Royce O’Neale or Grayson Allen — at least when the Suns were healthy.
This year, opponents will have no such luxury. The fifth starter is now Jones, who besides filling the biggest hole on the Suns’ roster also is the engineer of the offense. Putting Harden on Jones could actually be a more difficult assignment for Harden than one of the Big 3.
If Harden guards Jones, expect the Suns to slide right into a heavy dose of pick-and-roll with Jones. From there, Harden would either be forced to switch onto the screener (either Jusuf Nurkic or a guard like Devin Booker) or navigate screens and move his feet. Either way, the Clippers are inviting a stress point on their defense right from the jump.
That means the Clippers might get creative. Do they live with Harden switching everything and dare the Suns to go matchup hunting? That slows the game down and takes the Suns out of the rhythm they’ve found during the preseason. Or do they put Harden on Beal and beg the Suns to burn them with a lesser evil?
Either way, it’s an example of the pain the Suns’ personnel will create for opposing defenses.
No longer can someone like Harden relax guarding Allen, O’Neale or a Josh Okogie, who simply were floor spacers. Now, so long as the Suns play smart, unselfish basketball, there’s nowhere to hide.
