Losing Channing Frye is a big blow to the Phoenix Suns
Jul 8, 2014, 10:02 PM | Updated: 10:02 pm
Eleven points on 43 percent shooting, 37 percent from three, five rebounds, one assist plus less than a block and steal per game doesn’t sound all that significant.
Those were the raw box score numbers Channing Frye averaged last season for the Phoenix Suns, production that wouldn’t seem difficult to replace.
Unfortunately for the Suns, unless they are able to make a serious splash with one of the bigger names on the market, losing the former Arizona Wildcat will have a profound impact on their team this upcoming season.
Frye is the perfect example of why studying film and examining advanced analytics are an important part of building a successful roster in the NBA.
If you watched the Suns on a nightly basis with a keen eye, you know Frye was an integral part of what they did. Whether it was playing the four next to Miles Plumlee or in smaller lineups as the center, Frye helped to create space for everyone else to have offensive success. Phoenix’s offense was based on dribble penetration by their two guards, Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe, and without Frye’s ability to pull a defender from the basket, lanes wouldn’t have been nearly as open for them to attack.
Here is chart showing how the Suns performed as a team with Frye on and off the court:
