The start of the NBA has been close to two weeks, but what is surprising is that those so-called title favorites, almost collectively encountered Waterloo, at least from the current point of view, last season's strong and new season is still considered to be very competitive team, their performance is not ideal, from the defending champion Bucks, to the Nets, Lakers, and runner-up Suns, etc., the performance of the team has been struggling so far, which is quite surprising. Among them, the Lakers and the Nets are currently experiencing a lot of struggle because of the big changes in the lineup, but the Suns that have reached the finals have almost retained the entire main lineup, but only achieved a record of 1 win and 3 losses, which is quite surprising.
The Suns have played 4 games since the start of the game, including the one that won the Lakers, they lost to the Nuggets, the Blazers and the Kings respectively, and their status is not optimistic. In the most recent game against the Kings, the Suns were considered to be the side with absolute superiority in strength, and in the first half of the game they led 62-53 into the second half, but at the beginning of the third quarter, the team lost their form at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, and was played by the Kings in a wave of 29-15 counter-scores, although the Suns recovered in the fourth quarter, but in the last moment Barnes' 3 points made the Suns completely hate, and finally lost the game 107-110.
Throughout the game, Booker's performance is still outstanding, contributing a team-high 31 points in 12 of 28 shots, and a comprehensive performance of 6 rebounds and 8 assists, after the finals of last season, there is reason to believe that Booker, who is at the peak of the rise, will continue to play a dominant offensive performance in the new season. And interior star Ayton also killed all four sides in this game, shooting 9 of 12, efficiently bombing down 21 points and 21 rebounds of the big double 20 data, people can't help but be upset that he failed to renew his contract with the high salary. Bridges contributed 15 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks, and Crowder contributed 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. But among the starting five Tigers, only the veteran Paul's performance is the worst, and even so far in the new season, he has been quite incorruptible and old-fashioned.
Paul started and played 30 minutes, 1 of 10 on the offensive end, no 3-point shot, 4-of-4 free throws, and finally got 6 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals, which looked comprehensive, but Paul's offensive state seemed to be far from normal. The plus-minus was only -10, ranking first in the team, and when he was on the floor, the Suns lost 10 points against their opponents.
So far in the season, Paul has averaged only 12 points, 4.2 rebounds and 10.8 assists per game, and although his passing is still at the top level, the offensive end has clearly felt a lot of regression, with the shooting percentage falling to 39.5% and the three-point shooting rate only 30%. Although at the beginning of the season, it is normal for many stars to not find their form and need to gradually recover as the game progresses, Paul is 36 years old, and even if he has a sharp decline in form, it will not be surprising.
After helping the Suns reach the Finals last season and renewing a four-year, 120 million contract with the team, Paul today can't help but worry about his state, and even easily reminiscent of the original scene with the Rockets. In the 17-18 season, Paul helped the Rockets to get the first record in the regular season, and finally played the Western Conference Finals, and considering his excellent state and the remarkable effect of cooperation with Harden, the Rockets issued him a 4-year 160 million maximum salary contract, but in the second season, Paul performed poorly because of the decline in form, and in the game, he also had a conflict with Harden because of the ball rights problem, which eventually led to the Rockets' record not as expected, and the team gradually moved to the brink of reconstruction. The suns in the new season are a bit like the hidden dangers of repeating the tragedy of the Rockets, if Paul fails to adjust the state in time, then the suns want to re-enter the finals and impact the championship, which is undoubtedly a wild talk. And Paul's contract has 3 years left, once Paul really has a decline in form and can't adjust back, then the Suns will be very difficult in the next few years, even if they can become playoff contenders, it is difficult to become a title favorite.