What is the strongest team in the league? No doubt the Phoenix Suns! The Suns are currently 56-14 and rank first in the league, eight wins ahead of the Second Place Grizzlies in the West. With only 12 games left in the regular season, the Suns have essentially locked in league number one ahead of schedule. In addition, the Suns are also the first team this season to lock up the playoffs.
According to statistics, the Suns have led a total of 43 games into the fourth quarter this season, and they have not wasted any chances, achieving a record of 43 wins and 0 losses! Never squandering the lead, this Suns team is too stable, they deserve the league's number one record. In the 2019-20 season, the Lakers led 57 times into the fourth quarter, during which time they won 57 and lost 0.
The Lakers won the championship that season, but what about the Suns this season? It's also worth looking forward to! Looking at another set of statistics, since the All-Star weekend, the Suns have played 12 games and delivered a total of 352 assists, ranking first in the league in the same period. Don't forget, the Sun played the ultimate team basketball without a cannon brother.
On February 21 of this year, the Sun officially announced that Paul had a torn fracture of the right thumb, which was reassessed 6-8 weeks later. It also means that The Cannon Brother is reimbursed for the regular season and may even miss the first round of the playoffs. Judging from the video taken by Suns reporter Kellan Olson, Paul has now started ball training and is recovering well.
Paul has played in 58 games for the Suns this season, averaging 14.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 10.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game, shooting 48.7 percent from the field, 32.8 percent from three-point range and 85.2 percent from the free throw line. Although Paul's average per game dropped by 1.5 points per game last season, his average assists per game increased by 1.8 times, and he is still the brain and engine of the Suns.
After Paul's absence, Booker averaged 27.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game. He shot 52 percent from the field, 42 percent from three-point range, 90 percent from the free throw line, and surpassed "180 percent" in three-point shooting. So far this season, Booker has played in 59 games for the Suns, averaging 25.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
The Suns shot 48.5 percent from the field this season, the league's first; averaged 27.4 assists per game, second in the league; and third in both offensive and defensive efficiency. With a total salary of $133.7 million, they are only 15th in the league. Solar has the current record, Paul and Booker are indispensable, and the other teammates are also powerful enough.
The Suns have averaged seven players in double figures this season: Booker (25.8), Ayton (17), Paul (14.9), Bridges (14), Cameron Johnson (12.8), Payne (11.1) and Kaminski (10.6). However, Kaminsky only played 9 games before undergoing surgery on his right knee.
Cameron Johnson, in particular, averaged 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.8 steals per game, shooting 47.5 percent from the field, 44.8 percent from three-point range, and 87.3 percent from the free throw line, all seven of which were career highs. He averaged 2.7 three-pointers per game, the second-highest three-point shooting percentage in the league, behind Kenard (45.5%).
Johnson's current contract is $18.59 million for 4 years, which expires in the summer of 2023 and is only $4.43 million in salary this season. Bridges and Ayton's contracts expire this summer, and even if they're on big contracts, they'll fight in the playoffs! So the question is: Are you bullish on this Suns-onslam championship?