Vibes don’t score points, but they sure helped the Suns pull out a win on Wednesday night.
The Suns opened their season at home against the Sacramento Kings, and right away some of my concerns showed up.
With Jalen Green sidelined, this team doesn’t have many players who can create their own shot. Even when he returns, outside of Devin Booker, this isn’t a roster built on efficient shooting. We saw that in the first half, when nearly all of their scoring came at the rim.
That’s not a bad thing. It’s something head coach Jordan Ott emphasized back in June; putting pressure on the rim. Last season, no team in the league took fewer shots inside five feet. So seeing them attack the paint was encouraging.
But that first-half shot chart? It wasn’t pretty.
The challenge was that it was the only place they found success. Not for lack of effort. The team took 17 shots from deep in the first half and made only three. Through three quarters, 64.4% of their points came in the paint. For context, last season that number sat at 51.2%.
In the second half, the constant pressure at the rim finally started to work. The defense collapsed, the kick-outs came clean, and those wide-open threes started to drop. The math began to flip.
That’s ultimately how they beat the Kings. It felt like watching a football team use the run game to open up the pass. Keep pounding inside until the defense breaks, then cash in from distance. Simple, effective basketball.
But through all of it, the vibes stayed steady.
I have a feeling that’s going to be a recurring theme this year. This team was down 20 in the second quarter, and sure, that’s not catastrophic in today’s NBA, where a few threes can flip a game in minutes. Still, it’s the kind of deficit that last year’s squad would’ve folded under. That’s the difference. This group fought back instead of fading away.
And that’s where the vibes matter. No heads hanging. No slumped shoulders or thousand-yard stares on the bench. No players throwing their hands in the air after a blown rotation. Because the rotations weren’t blown. The defense was active, they closed out on shooters, they battled in the paint, and by the second half, they had worn the Kings down. That’s what effort does. That’s what toughness does. That’s what vibes do.
I can’t remember the last time the Mortgage Matchup Center sounded that alive. Maybe the 2023 playoffs?
The crowd was into it, and the team gave them something worth that noise. Credit to the Suns for grinding through 48 minutes, for refusing to let the game slip, for staying connected. The shooting? Yeah, that has to get better. But the way they clawed back said plenty about the foundation this group is trying to build.
And with that, it’s time for the return of the Bright Side Baller poll, my half-assed yet beloved attempt to crown a player of the game. If you’re new here, it’s simple. I’ll post the stats of six players from the last game, and you’ll vote for who balled out the most. We’ll track it all season long to see who becomes the Bright Side Baller of the Year.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Devin Booker
31 points (10-of-19, 1-of-3 3PT, 10-of-15 FT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 6 turnovers, +1 +/-
Grayson Allen
18 points (6-of-12, 3-of-7 3PT, 3-of-3 FT), 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, +1 +/-
Dillon Brooks
22 points (9-of-24, 1-of-8 3PT, 3-of-3 FT), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, +2 +/-
Mark Williams
15 points (3-of-5 FG), 11 rebounds, 0 assists, 2 blocks, +6 +/-
Royce O’Neale
12 points (4-of-8, 3-of-7 3PT, 1-of-2 FT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, +3 +/-
Ryan Dunn
9 points (4-of-9, 1-of-4 3PT), 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, -7 +/-
And now, the inaugural poll of the season.
