Lineup: Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Ryan Dunn, Mark Williams
Dunn is the biggest question mark here, as the Suns could opt for Royce O’Neale to add a little more spacing. But if Booker and Green are going to man the guard spots, it’d help to have another load-lightening defender next to Brooks. That way, Dunn and Brooks could wrangle the most difficult guard or forward matchups, freeing up Phoenix’s pair of off-guards for offense-only work.
This is an undersized group overall, which will probably compromise rebounding. The other issue you’ve probably spotted by now: There’s no point guard in this lineup.
Booker is a better passer than most primary scoring options and has posted an assist rate at or above the 90th percentile for combo guards and wings in nearly every season of his career. Green, though, is a below-average facilitator whose limited vision will hurt offensive flow—particularly with no one else in the lineup having much of a high-assist history.
As good as Booker is overall, he’s in the wrong position. The pieces just don’t fit here, and it’s hard to imagine the Suns’ starters excelling on either end.
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