Nass’ Trip Around the Association Vol. 3, Page Fifteen

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Can Beal’s sacrifices set the tone for the Suns’ playoff hopes?

The Valley boys of Phoenix have been off to an up-and-down stretch since the All-Star break, posting a middle-of-the-road 9-8 record since the intermission. With the NBA’s 2nd toughest strength of schedule the rest of the way Phoenix definitely anticipated their road to the playoffs being a little bit more challenging than those of their counterparts but make no mistake this is still a talented team that has quite a lot to clean up with so little time. Devin Booker missed four games with a minor ankle sprain in which the Suns went 2-2 including an OT road victory against the defending champion Denver Nuggets where Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal combined for 15 points in the extended period to bring home the W back on March 5th. Since then, their only quality win since Booker returned to the hardwood was a road win against a Cleveland Cavalier team that was missing franchise star Donovan Mitchell. Since the All-Star Break the Suns have suffered losses to the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets (2x), Boston Celtics (2x), Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Milwaukee Bucks. Through March 26th, the Suns are 21-22 vs teams over .500.

“We’ve got to come out with a lot better focus and a lot more sense of urgency from what we’ve been having. It’s been way unacceptable and we all know that. We’ve got to be better these last 14,” Star shooting guard Bradley Beal stated last Tuesday after a Phoenix Suns’ practice session. Beal, who has spent the majority of the first half of the season fighting numerous nagging injuries has been exceptional since the All-Star break. Beal is putting up 18 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists on a sharp 53/41/86 shooting efficiency profile and a 62.7 true shooting percentage. Specifically in the Milwaukee Bucks game this past Sunday, Beal exemplified a well-balanced shot diet, aggressively driving towards the cup time and time again especially in the second half allowing it to open up the rest of his shot-making repertoire and as well as generate high-quality looks for the rest of the team. Beal shot more free throw attempts than both Booker and Durant combined on his way to 28 points on a very efficient 11 of 15 shooting from the floor. Beal’s constant rim aggression is a very intricate part of the Suns’ flow on offense. His ability to oscillate between the roles of score first and playmaker while sacrificing his field goal attempts for the betterment of the team has given the Suns a new light going into the playoffs. “He’s [Bradley Beal] reshaping his game for this team, you know what I mean, and this role is different than some of the roles he’s had on his teams in Washington, and he’s going to do whatever the team needs, and to see him playing this way is really uplifting to our whole group. Efficient scoring the basketball, efficient with ball security, and 12 assists season high, I mean you can’t say enough about how he’s running,” head coach Frank Vogel praised after Saturday night’s road win against the San Antonio Spurs.

Beal has also been empowering more of a presence defensively this second half, taking the challenge of matching up against the opposing team’s premier perimeter threat, and the dividends have paid off. Beal spent the majority of last Wednesday’s game vs the Philadelphia 76ers matched up against Tyrese Maxey, helping hold the first-time All-Star to 3 of 13 shooting in the win at home. “Over the past three games, Beal has posted a defensive rating of 106.1. “And he’s defending his butt off too. His ball containment is the best on our team right now. He’s doing it on both ends.” Vogel continued. The Suns’ were riding a three-game winning streak before falling to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night but it can’t go unmentioned that Beal’s contributions to other areas on the floor outside of scoring have made a huge difference to a team that’s been in search of an identity since the season began. Beal re-inventing himself and orchestrating the offense as selflessly as he has allows both Booker and Durant to operate in their natural offensive states and focus more on their strengths, putting the ball in the basket. With defensive-minded grit guard Josh Okigie recently returning to the rotation after missing the past 10 games with an abdominal strain, the Suns get back a familiar rotational guard as they look to gain momentum before the postseason.

The well-rounded maturation of Jaylen Brown

“I think it’s the best basketball he’s played,” longtime prominent NBA analyst Tim Legler confidently said about three-time All-Star, Boston Celtics shooting guard/forward Jaylen Brown on JJ Redick’s “The Old Man & the Three. Brown, who’s played a vital role in the Celtics’ lengthy success in the Eastern Conference since he was taken third overall back in 2016 is starting to enter the early stages of his apex. Experience (105 career playoff appearances, 85 career playoff starts) has always been on Brown’s side but numerous questions regarding his handle and ball security started to arise during the latter stages of the 2022 NBA Finals vs the Golden State Warriors and arose even more during last year’s Eastern Conference Finals against playoff foe Miami Heat. Some critics continue to doubt Brown’s ability to break down defenses during crucial big moments. Others who have followed the team closely have noted the decrease in redundancy between the playstyles of Brown and fellow teammate, superstar Jayson Tatum due to the more complementary personnel surrounding them thus making it harder for opponents to key in on the superstar duo’s deficiencies.

Since the All-Star break, Brown is averaging 28.8 points (3rd in the NBA), 6.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists a game on 54.3% shooting and 41.3% from the three-point line. “It’s fun. You know it’s like a game of chess, like you know a guy has it going knowing he wanna be aggressive, they going to him every possession, like you know pick him up, be aggressive,” Brown said about looking forward to taking on the assignment of guarding the opponent’s best player after last Wednesday’s home win vs the Milwaukee Bucks. This has without a doubt been the most complete season of Brown’s career to date, the Celtics have the 2nd best defensive rating in the association and Brown’s versatility on that side of the court is a key component as to why the Cs have been an elite formidable defense all season long. Of all forwards who’ve defended at least 600 field goal attempts, Brown ranks 6th best amongst all forwards in Defensive FG% (44.8%), while posting a +1.5 Defensive Estimated +/-. His ability to effectively defend numerous wings and perimeter scoring threats come playoff time will be a catalyst to the Celtics’ title contention hopes.

The only glaring deficiency that one could point to as a potential red flag that may exploit the Celtics down the road is Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s crunchtime habits and shot selection. “Just mindset, just being aggressive, taking each play not for granted. I think we just, we was up 30, and kinda took our foot off the gas, and it cost us,” Brown told reporters after a lackadaisical, embarrassing 120-118 loss on the road Monday night against the Atlanta Hawks in a game where the Celtics at one point held a 30 point cushion. Specifically noted in this contest, with just under a minute left in the game, trailing 116-117 Brown had an opportunity late after Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray converted a reverse layup the previous possession. When Brown brought the ball up across mid-court, he proceeded to pound the ball continuously along the right wing as it wasn’t clear whether he was going to initiate an action or create a shot for himself. After a faltered Kristaps Porzingis attempted screen in hopes of some space being created for Brown to attack, Brown hesitated to drive towards the teeth of the defense and retreated. Left with just a few seconds left on the shot clock and no ideal avenue to drive by his defender, Brown ultimately was forced to settle for a step back fall away three-point shot. “I didn’t love the last shot that we got, I think we kinda waited too late, was waiting for the action to kinda develop, but you know the clock was winding down and we were taking too much time and I didn’t really like the last shot that I got on the right wing but other than that I feel like we got some good looks outside of you know some of the turnovers that we had, but you know that’s something we’ll definitely continue to work on,” Brown concluded on where he and teammate Jayson Tatum are in certain clutch spots like Monday night’s. Even though the duo combined for 17 points in the last period, they went 0-3 from deep and it just makes you think if we’ll see the maturation of those two and their crunchtime shot selection come playoff time, where the possessions matter most. There’s been instances where they’ve shown their maturity in such situations but will it be the reason they can or cannot play into June?

Jalen Green turning it up a notch?

It’s pretty safe to say that over the past two weeks, Jalen Green has been one of the best basketball players in the world. Amidst a season-long nine-game winning streak and fresh off of a Western Conference Player of the Week nod, Green has been the engine behind a Houston Rockets team that is now a half-game out of the 10th seed that is currently held by the Golden State Warriors.

“Main thing is, you know he [Jalen Green] stayed resilient and continued to be confident when things weren’t going great. All it takes for a really good scorer is to see a few go through, run off a game or two of hot shooting, and it can kind of snowball like this so like I said I’m proud of the way he fought through some adversity, it’s not easy you know with a newer team and some different demands from a coaching staff, and doing different things to always stay the course and fight through it and he’s done that, so great to see him come out on the other side but I’ve seen quite a bit of guys that can run off these numbers, I’ve coached a lot of high-level scorers and this is right up there with them, the streak he’s going on right now, it’s not easy by any means regardless who it is to drop 40 in the league consistently”, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka praised his franchise cornerstone guard about his current hot streak.

Alperen Sengun went down with a severe ankle sprain and bone bruise in his right leg back on March 10th. Since then, Green has been reaping the benefits of additional touches and space. We’re all aware of Green’s killer first step and nuclear athleticism, some of the physical gifts that made him a clear-cut high lottery pick back in 2021. In the month of March, Green is averaging 27.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists on 50 FG%, 41 3P% (9.6 3PA/game in March), and 80 FT% shooting splits. Over Green’s last eight games, he’s shooting a ludicrous 64.3 Effective Field Goal % on 8.8 pull-up jump shots, including 46.8% on pull-up threes. Through March 26th, Green is also posting the NBA’s best +/- in the month of March. Ability was never a question with Green but understanding this is really his first season in an infrastructure that holds him accountable for his play is something we have to keep in mind when we evaluate these really young talented draft picks. There’s a learning curve that not every talented high-pedigree pick adjusts to as soon as they step on the hardwood. Green is still just 22 years old and is still so far away from who he’ll be the rest of his career. “You know, he [Jalen Green] was kind of forcing a little bit early, looked a little anxious, and then kind of grinded it away, started taking the right shots, making the right plays and it’s not always going to come out, you know right from the start on fire and our team was like that in general. But for him to kind of grind through, he had some big rebounds, big defensive plays, and played the right way. It was huge for him to really come out the second half like that”, Udoka elaborated on whether this current stretch is a sign of growth for the G-League Ignite product.

Shams recently reported that this past trade deadline the Houston Rockets were flirting with the idea of a trade package centered around Jalen Green to be sent to the Brooklyn Nets. A report that has thrown a thorn in the Alperen Sengun/Jalen Green dynamic and the discrepancy of their playstyles. Questions have started to loom about whether they can co-exist together on the court and with the Rockets now as a legit play-in contender, Sengun has a very solid chance to make a return before season’s end. With Sengun’s vision, selflessness, and ability to stretch the floor, Green can still be a very dangerous scorer going forward playing off of Sengun DHOs, pick and rolls, and cuts to the rim where he can utilize his physical strengths because ultimately that’s going to help open up the rest of shot-making profile. With the ascendance of Jabari Smith Jr, Amen Thompson, and Cam Whitmore, and the veteran leadership of Fred Van Vleet and Dillon Brooks, the Houston Rockets will be a very hungry, frisky potential play-in team.