The NBA's defensive tactics are complex and usually difficult to break, and there are a variety of defensive tactics for an offensive round, such as blocking delays, assisting defenses, changing defenses, and pressuring ball carriers (co-defense players usually predict the direction of the ball carrier's pass, and wait for opportunities to destroy or steal) and so on. And the value of defensive players in this era is also higher than ever, and the idea is that no matter what tricks the offense plays, there will always be a targeted defensive method, at least there will always be a way to make the opponent's attack more difficult.
This idea is correct for most teams, and the offensive strength of the Golden State Warriors also has its own weaknesses, such as the Toronto Raptors once sacrificed the famous "Box And One" defensive strategy to limit Curry's play, and finally successfully won the championship that year. But that doesn't include the Phoenix Suns in 2021-22, who have a league number one record of 64 wins and 18 losses this season, ranking all in the league in terms of offense and defense, being the only team in the league that ranks in the top five both offense and defense, ranking third in the league in terms of halftime offensive and defensive efficiency, and also the only team in the league to achieve such a feat, no matter how tight the opponent's defensive system, the Suns' offense can always find loopholes in the opponent's defense and crush it.
The cornerstone of the Suns' offensive system is the combination of Chris Paul and DeAndre Ayton, both inside and outside, and the difference between the two couldn't be greater. Paul is an elderly guard whose height is definitely below the league's passing line, while Ayton is an interior giant with a height of 2.11 meters, and his athleticism and soft shooting feel are easily reminiscent of Spurs star David Robinson. But that's the main reason the Suns' offensive system is so sharp, as the huge difference in height and size between the two forces defenders to often get caught up in misplaced questions that don't have obvious answers.
When Paul and Ayton are blocking, you can never adopt a defensive strategy of changing defenses and shrinking under the basket, because he is one of the greatest pitchers of the era, and mid-range shooting is particularly deadly. The main purpose of the defensive strategy of changing defenses and shrinking the basket is to strictly prevent the opposing small player from breaking through the basket and letting the opponent shoot two points longer. But over the past five seasons, Paul has shot more than 53 percent from long two-point ranges in the area between 15 feet and the three-point line from the basket. If the opponent adopts the tactic of co-defending the ball-holder, the opponent will be crushed, because Paul is one of the best passers in NBA history, and if the opposing insider assists Paul, Paul will easily find his teammates down.
Ayton also has his own solution when the opponent blocks the delay and shrinks the defensive strategy under the basket. First and foremost, Ayton is a great blocker, Ayton is flexible enough to go down quickly after completing the block, while he can also slow down his down, match Paul's rhythm, and finish the attack in the middle distance. Ayton's shooting percentage in the 10-foot-to-16-foot zone this season has been as high as 55.5 percent, and in the playoffs, that percentage has risen to 59.3 percent.
Putting these two people together, the Suns have a blocking combination that is quite invincible in attack. During the regular season, Paul and Ayton's blocking offense scored 1.22 points per round, which is not only the league's best level, but also more than five points per 100 rounds compared to the second-place blocking combination (Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young and Capela, 1.16 points per round). That statistic for the Paul and Ayton combination rose to 1.24 points during the playoffs, especially considering they had at least 48 more offensive rounds than any other duo, which is truly a remarkable feat.
For the combination of Paul and Ayton, it is not wise to adopt the defensive strategy of the bag holder, even if Paul's height is at a significant disadvantage, but he handles the ball extremely fast, and he can play the ball before the opponent's bag is formed. Ayton is also a good enough ball carrier, and before he starts moving, he usually dribbles the ball a few times to decide whether to make it to the basket or finish in the mid-range.
If the opponent adopts a change of defense, unfortunately there is no way to deal with the offensive combination of Paul and Ayton. Although Paul's current ability to hit the basket is much less than before, he can still use his speed advantage to shake off the big players defending him and find jump shot space.
The real problem is Ayton, whose size, fitness and shooting feel make it almost impossible for the small guards to defend him, and after more and more tacit cooperation with Paul, he now moves more often in advance, stuck the smaller defender behind him, and moves deeper before receiving the ball. When Paul's defender changes to Ayton, it will be completely exploded, according to the official statistics of the NBA, Ayton perfectly used his misplaced advantage when encountering the blocking and changing defense, and can get 1.55 points per round!
That's why most of the Suns' offensive rounds end with Paul and Ayton's blocking offense. During the regular season, Paul and Ayton have to cooperate in 23.9 rounds of blocking offense per game, ranking first in the league, and in the playoffs, their blocking and dismantling combinations average 32.3 times per game, a total of 226 times, far more than other teams, and the efficiency is also the first in the league, hoping that a team can find a way to solve this problem, otherwise it will be difficult to beat this team in the playoffs.