PHOENIX SUNS

With McDonough aboard, the Suns’ transition is underway

May 9, 2013, 8:46 PM | Updated: 11:59 pm

Well-run NBA franchises establish an identity.

I’m not talking about welcoming back old players, being media friendly or any other off-the-court nonsense. Good teams understand what they are trying to accomplish on the court and this permeates from the top of the front office all the way to the lowest part of the coaching staff.

Creating this environment is the most important task for new Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough.

“When we did win big in Boston, when we won the championship, we were good on both ends,” said the former Celtics assistant general manager. “The defense was historically good, but the offense was pretty good as well. I think you need a balance.

“The best teams are usually good on both ends, the teams that are championship winners. If you’re exceptional in one area you don’t have to be quite as good in the others. It depends on who is available in the draft and free agency. I think there are different ways to do it. We are going to try to field a team that is good on both ends of the floor.”

It’s good to hear the Suns GM discuss the idea of being flexible. One of the worst things you can do in sports is be stubborn. McDonough sounds like he is open to building an identity from a couple different perspectives and isn’t locked into one concept.

From a big picture standpoint, when the goal is to win an NBA Championship, McDonough is right about having to be effective offensively and defensively. Only three teams since 2000-2001 have won a title without being both top 10 in offensive rating and defensive rating (a measurement of offense and defense evened per 100 possessions).

In the last 10 years, on average, only 3.8 teams per season have ranked in the top 10 in both, with a high of six in 2007-2008 and a low of three in four different seasons.

This is a difficult goal to accomplish that involves having players with broad skill sets who can help in a variety of areas. The Suns aren’t close to being at this point.

Phoenix last year was rated 29th offensively and 23rd defensively.

From the offensive side, one of McDonough’s jobs will be to acquire players to help them take shots from more optimal places on the court. The Suns took the second-most shots in the NBA from midrange (least efficient shot in the NBA), 17th in shots at the rim, 17th in corner threes and 23rd in threes above the break (I use shots attempted and not percentage of makes because there is a higher correlation between where you attempt shots and offensive success than percentage.)

This comes down to having only one player, Goran Dragic, who can create shots for himself and others on a consistent basis.

On the defensive end, despite allowing the fourth-most shots at the rim and ranking 21st in the midrange category, the Suns did limit teams to the 25th-least corner threes attempted and 25th above the break threes. The problem was they defended these poorly; opposing teams shot the third-highest percentage from the corner and second from above the break.

What made the Suns job ideal for an up-and-coming, young basketball mind like McDonough is the roster flexibility Phoenix has. If he is allowed to fully control the basketball operations, it won’t be hard to shape the roster how he wants in the near future.

Dragic is the only Suns player who is under contract for the 2015-2016 season, and that is a player option. Every other deal either expires or has an out if he doesn’t want to keep the player around.

The Suns also have six first round picks and four second round picks in the next three years to flush the organization with young talent on rookie contracts.

Ryan McDonough has given the Suns a new look in the front office. Very soon, the team might be unrecognizable from what you saw on the court in 2012-2013.

I think everyone agrees there isn’t anything wrong with that.

Credit to NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com for the statistics used in this piece.

Phoenix Suns

Jusuf Nurkic...

Damon Allred

Jusuf Nurkic questionable for Suns’ matchup with Thunder; Bradley Beal no longer listed

The Phoenix Suns are listing center Jusuf Nurkic questionable for a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

16 hours ago

Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets is guarded by Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns during th...

Kellan Olson

Suns respond to season’s low point with thorough win over Nuggets

The guessing game of which Suns team shows up on which night persists. The best current version did on Wednesday in a win over the Nuggets.

1 day ago

Bradley Beal #3 of the Phoenix Suns looks on during the second half against the Boston Celtics at T...

David Veenstra

Bradley Beal in, Jusuf Nurkic out for Suns’ matchup with Nuggets

Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal is active for Wednesday's matchup with the Denver Nuggets while center Jusuf Nurkic is out.

2 days ago

Tyler Kolek, Marquette...

Damon Allred

Here’s who Phoenix Suns fans should watch in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

The Suns' first round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft sits at No. 19 overall, and they could select a star from the NCAA Tournament.

2 days ago

Phoenix Suns take on San Antonio Spurs...

Arizona Sports

O’Neale: Phoenix Suns took Spurs ‘too lightly’ in glaring loss

The Phoenix Suns' lack of effort was on display Monday night against the San Antonio Spurs, leading to an honest film session.

2 days ago

...

Arizona Sports Video

Video: Royce O’Neale: Suns took Spurs “a little too lightly”

Phoenix Suns forward Royce O'Neale joined Burns & Gambo to talk about the team's disappointing loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, and to look ahead at the team's remaining schedule, as they continue to make a push toward the NBA playoffs.

3 days ago

With McDonough aboard, the Suns’ transition is underway