The Suns’ projected starters include Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, and Miles Bridges around a center (likely Khaman Maluach, possibly Oso Ighodaro). Those four players are notably right-wing oriented. No, I am not talking about politics! I’m talking about which side of the court three-point shots are made at a higher rate, particularly above the break, or said differently, non-corner threes.
Here is a table for those four players and their make percentage for all of last season, per BBall
Index.
That’s over 7% higher on the right wing than the left, and here is a critical callout: All four players are stronger from the right.
Why does this matter? The defensive scouting reports will know this, and teams will plan to shade coverage to the right side of the court. It also limits the effectiveness of cross-court ball swings for weak-side counters and makes driving lanes more predictable.
There is a rotation solution. Make that a pair of left side heroes, like R2-D2 and C-3PO (shout out to our editor @DarthVoita, a big Star Wars franchise fan.) They may not be the big-name stars like Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, or Rey. But without them, there are problems.
Collin Gillespie (41%) and Luke Kennard (54% !!) are both elite from the left wing. If one of those four starters is removed early in the first quarter, inserting either will balance the floor. With versatility among the four, either could slide in, and positions one to four would be covered on the defensive end. Those combinations could continue for much of the game, and then if somebody is having a rough night, Collin or Luke may even get play in the end-of-game lineups.
A wild card aspect of this challenge: If Khaman continues developing as a distance threat, the starting five could use him as a threat on the left wing. However, that should not be a high-volume part of his game. Mix in Gillespie and Kennard a lot, and with all of Ott’s motions, the Suns will light up the galaxy…I mean scoreboard.
