ESPN writer excited to see Suns’ Aron Baynes from deep when NBA resumes
Jun 6, 2020, 4:34 PM | Updated: 7:09 pm
Phoenix Suns center Aron Baynes (46) shoots a 3-pointer over Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 6, 2020, in Phoenix. The Suns won 127-117. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
A 6-foot-10 center splashing 3-pointers at a 35% clip was a sight to behold prior to the season being put on hold, and certainly something Phoenix Suns fans have missed seeing.
Watching the Suns’ Aron Baynes take the ball and launch beyond the arch is something ESPN writer Kirk Goldsberry can’t wait to see when the NBA season resumes on July 31 in Orlando.
Baynes and the Suns will be fighting for a playoff spot after league owners voted Thursday to approve a plan that features the 16 current playoff teams and any team within six games of the eighth seed in their respective conferences returning to play.
Goldsberry went through each of the 22 teams that will play in Orlando and gave one thing he was excited for about each. About Baynes, he wrote:
Aron Baynes shooting 3s is just a treat to watch.
That’s right, the 33-year-old center has become one of the most surprisingly effective stretch-5s in the NBA this season. Baynes is suddenly taking four 3s per game and hitting them at a respectable 35% clip.
The 33-year-old big man from New Zealand became a instant fan-favorite in Phoenix after coming over last offseason in a trade from the Boston Celtics that also gave Phoenix the rights to the Ty Jerome draft pick.
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Prior to the season being halted in mid-March due to the coronavirus outbreak, Baynes was averaging 11.5 points per game with 5.6 rebounds in 42 games.
His most memorable game wearing orange came on March 6 when he made nine 3-point baskets, scored 37 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and had two blocks in the Suns’ 127-117 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers in Phoenix.
Aron Baynes acting totally different in the 1Q:
😳 19 Pts
😳 5-5 3-PT FG pic.twitter.com/r6pd9hqj9S— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 7, 2020
He’s the only player in NBA history to have a night with those numbers, and he tied a franchise record for 3-pointers in a game with Channing Frye, Quentin Richardson and Rex Chapman.
The Suns held a 26-39 when the league’s season was suspended, placing them 13th in the Western Conference and six games out of a playoff spot.
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