Game 19: Phoenix Suns (10-8) @ Dallas Mavericks (8-12) l Monday l 6:30pm l NBATV l FSNAZ

[lilfishi22]

Maybe just a throwaway line to give Ayton more confidence or sarcasm. Either way, it's probably best to just let the guys enjoy it rather than go straight into criticism mode in a post-game interview. I'm hoping Ayton knows the pick he set was like a fart in the wind

[bwgood77]

Watching the replays, that last pick Ayton set was pretty poor. It had a little more oomph than his usual slip screens and luckily it was just enough to buy Booker a slither of daylight to get that shot off. To be honest, Ayton would be getting a TON of heat if Booker hadn't hit that hella shot because it just wasn't a good screen and it's something he needs to really work on.

Yeah I kinda laughed when I saw Monty call it a monster screen lol he barely touched him

Likely because the guy was on top of Book, even had his hands on him and Ayton got right behind him and when he turned he had to run all around Ayton and in the process got about 3 steps behind Booker and didn't catch up until Booker had already gotten set and was jumping up to take the shot.

Just because he didn't run into Ayton, and decided to take the time to run around him doesn't mean Ayton was in the wrong spot.

[lilfishi22]

interesting to see with 34 votes cast, we're at a B- ranking 1/4 of the way into the season. I think it's about right, there's a ton of things to like but also a ton we need to improve on.

The good news for us is that a lot of the changes we need to make are not talent or skill related which are the two hardest things to improve on (unless it comes via a trade) but rather refinement, execution and consistency. We have the guys on the roster to be a top 4 team in the West, we just need to get everyone on the same page and do so consistently which is not small feat itself. And for all the bad games we've had against all manners of teams, we're a few games above .500 for the first time at this point in the season since 2015. We're not doing everything right but we are doing some things right.

[JohnWall2]

Hall of Fame Leadership. Heart of a champion. Mr. Clutch himself.

Aren't you the guy who used to blindly defend Dragon Bender and Josh Jackson among others? All I've ever seen you do is bag CP3, it was a bad miss yes but what about the move to get there? What about the rest of the game? Lol

Am I a bad guy for wanting our fan base to be patient with 18 and 19 year old rookies we drafted in the top 5?

Also, gotta slight CP3 so he gets mad and proves me wrong, just like his son and the Free Throws. That's the way the man is built.

(Also, Book lowkey bailed him out, that wasn't exactly a masterfully set up look)

No, no....not a bad guy. They were junk in the end, but like Ayton, some patience is required.

I just thought a guy called MrMiyagi would enjoy watching an old master pg on his team he supports

Btw has he not been proving you wrong these last 5 games or so? 26/6/9 at a 53/39/96 slash is pretty good!

[bwgood77]

Maybe just a throwaway line to give Ayton more confidence or sarcasm. Either way, it's probably best to just let the guys enjoy it rather than go straight into criticism mode in a post-game interview. I'm hoping Ayton knows the pick he set was like a fart in the wind

The videos below show he was in the right spot unless he wanted to slow down Book too. The guy just ran around him. You don't want Ayton moving much there and get called for an offensive foul. I'm sure the refs would have been happy too. The guy lost 3-4 steps on Book because he ran around Ayton who was in the right spot..it's just the defender went around him and lost enough ground on Booker to get the shot off...prior to that he was all over Book.

I mean sure, it would have looked a lot neater had the guy turned around and ran right into Ayton and fell down...there are several angles...but look how he has to side step him and gets really slowed down.

From Monty's vantage point he could obviously see how effective it was when after having to run around Ayton he went from being right on top of him to 3-4 steps behind him.

The angle at 35 seconds might be the best and the subsequent angles until the end show just how far he ends up getting behind Booker after the side step/run around.

https://nba.nbcsports.com/2021/02/02/devin-booker-punctuates-return-with-game-winner-from-three-video/

But yeah, just based on the last number of posts, it appears to many it would be Ayton's fault if Booker missed the shot and fans would be crucifying him even more.

[suns12345]

Maybe just a throwaway line to give Ayton more confidence or sarcasm. Either way, it's probably best to just let the guys enjoy it rather than go straight into criticism mode in a post-game interview. I'm hoping Ayton knows the pick he set was like a fart in the wind

The videos below show he was in the right spot unless he wanted to slow down Book too. The guy just ran around him. You don't want Ayton moving much there and get called for an offensive foul. I'm sure the refs would have been happy too. The guy lost 3-4 steps on Book because he ran around Ayton who was in the right spot..it's just the defender went around him and lost enough ground on Booker to get the shot off...prior to that he was all over Book.

I mean sure, it would have looked a lot neater had the guy turned around and ran right into Ayton and fell down...there are several angles...but look how he has to side step him and gets really slowed down.

From Monty's vantage point he could obviously see how effective it was when after having to run around Ayton he went from being right on top of him to 3-4 steps behind him.

The angle at 35 seconds might be the best and the subsequent angles until the end show just how far he ends up getting behind Booker after the side step/run around.

https://nba.nbcsports.com/2021/02/02/devin-booker-punctuates-return-with-game-winner-from-three-video/

But yeah, just based on the last number of posts, it appears to many it would be Ayton's fault if Booker missed the shot and fans would be crucifying him even more.

The screen was fine, you can't lay people out on every screen, that isn't what they're for. 90% of the time they're just about getting the defender behind the offensive player as they chase around the screen.

If he set an illegal pick and got called, the criticism would be even worse. He is a much improved screener and now his main area for development is what he does after the screen.

[JohnWall2]

When you're the only one who's allowed to take the final shot in your team, that stat is going to be one of those "good looking" stats until you factor in the saying, "If you throw enough darts, you'll eventually hit the bullseye."

Suns could have drew up that play for a number of players. Booker was chosen for a reason. The great players want to take those shots, make or miss. People on this board try every way to discredit all the good that Booker brings.


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Yeah, gotta have Booker take that. He is clutch in those situations. Paul may be just as much or more clutch but you want him making the pass and not vice versa.

Yep good to see our big 3 setting up that final winning play, Ayton screen, CP3 pass and Booker shot.

[Slim Charless]

Watching the replays, that last pick Ayton set was pretty poor. It had a little more oomph than his usual slip screens and luckily it was just enough to buy Booker a slither of daylight to get that shot off. To be honest, Ayton would be getting a TON of heat if Booker hadn't hit that hella shot because it just wasn't a good screen and it's something he needs to really work on.

Agreed. Ayton sets the worst screens. Setting a screen is easy, there’s not much to it. The clearest thing is that he shys away from contact, which is frustrating for a big. I’m sure the Suns have had many conversations to him about it, those conversations go out the window though.

Something I’ve noticed is that Ayton seems to struggle in crunch times. There’s many plays this season where he freezes when he touches the ball or gets a big offensive rebound at the end of the game and he ends up going up soft. Hopefully he gets better at it. Yesterday he got saved from a 3 from Booker after getting blocked from KP and froze. Also, when CP3 missed that wide open lay up, Ayton got the rebound and went up soft. Draw the foul and go up strong!


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...and then he gets called for another foul. Which would have guys complaining that Ayton has to be smarter with how he sets his picks. LMAO I mean really guys, there's probably actual quotes in this very thread about how Ayton got called for offensive fouls for setting picks.

Do you guys really not remember this happening? I know it's fun to bash Ayton since he's not Luka but still let's try and at least pretend we care about the facts and the games we've all watched.

[Frank Lee]

It worked so wtf?

Book doesn’t need much room.

Perhaps we should run more designated plays for Book.... seems like he has improvise 80% of the time.

[MrMiyagi]

Aren't you the guy who used to blindly defend Dragon Bender and Josh Jackson among others? All I've ever seen you do is bag CP3, it was a bad miss yes but what about the move to get there? What about the rest of the game? Lol

Am I a bad guy for wanting our fan base to be patient with 18 and 19 year old rookies we drafted in the top 5?

Also, gotta slight CP3 so he gets mad and proves me wrong, just like his son and the Free Throws. That's the way the man is built.

(Also, Book lowkey bailed him out, that wasn't exactly a masterfully set up look)

No, no....not a bad guy. They were junk in the end, but like Ayton, some patience is required.

I just thought a guy called MrMiyagi would enjoy watching an old master pg on his team he supports

Btw has he not been proving you wrong these last 5 games or so? 26/6/9 at a 53/39/96 slash is pretty good!

Damn, John Wall, do you want him to start tanking?

Trust the process if you want us in the playoffs.

[Barkley6]

It worked so wtf?

Book doesn’t need much room.

Perhaps we should run more designated plays for Book.... seems like he has improvise 80% of the time.

That's a really excellent point. Book CAN create his own shot, but it doesn't mean he always HAS to. Running a few sets for him particularly early to get him in rhythm would be great. Or in late game situations, taking the ball out of his hands as the primary offensive creator but letting him be the finisher is a smart move, limits his turnovers and allows him to do what he does best.

[Mulhollanddrive]

I thought B+ was fair.

11-8 with 3 home games in the pocket, and we haven't really put all our weapons together for any stretch of games.

[MrMiyagi]

I thought B+ was fair.

11-8 with 3 home games in the pocket, and we haven't really put all our weapons together for any stretch of games.

I feel similarly, but gave a B- because B+ was too close to an A for my taste, and we've yet to play A ball yet, IMO.

[spanishninja]

I say a B is most fair. Remember we were hit by Covid and injuries too, and even then we were a couple of bounces away from being 13-6 or even 14-5. And CP3 is getting back into form lately after starting cold.

[bwgood77]

I thought B+ was fair.

11-8 with 3 home games in the pocket, and we haven't really put all our weapons together for any stretch of games.

I put B+ too. We have lost some bad games but so have a lot of teams and dealt with no legit backup big, no backup PG, no Booker for a few, a week off, etc.

We are a couple games behind the Clips and Denver in the loss column...and had we beat Denver in those games where we lost Booker at the end of one, and had no Booker (or Saric) in the next while also losing Ayton and Cam at the end, we would be 13-6, with no more losses than any of the top teams.

[bwgood77]

I thought B+ was fair.

11-8 with 3 home games in the pocket, and we haven't really put all our weapons together for any stretch of games.

I feel similarly, but gave a B- because B+ was too close to an A for my taste, and we've yet to play A ball yet, IMO.

I first looked for just a "B" option because I felt it should be in between..but leaned toward B+, though I wasn't one of the majority who had expectations of a WCF team or a for sure 2nd round playoff team.

[JohnWall2]

Am I a bad guy for wanting our fan base to be patient with 18 and 19 year old rookies we drafted in the top 5?

Also, gotta slight CP3 so he gets mad and proves me wrong, just like his son and the Free Throws. That's the way the man is built.

(Also, Book lowkey bailed him out, that wasn't exactly a masterfully set up look)

No, no....not a bad guy. They were junk in the end, but like Ayton, some patience is required.

I just thought a guy called MrMiyagi would enjoy watching an old master pg on his team he supports

Btw has he not been proving you wrong these last 5 games or so? 26/6/9 at a 53/39/96 slash is pretty good!

Damn, John Wall, do you want him to start tanking?

Trust the process if you want us in the playoffs.

Haha right gotcha