Point guards, Ayton's 3-pointer and more: 6 takeaways from Suns' win over Utah
Phoenix beat the Jazz 101-88 in its first Orlando scrimmage Thursday night.
When Monty Williams walked inside HP Fieldhouse on the Walt Disney World campus, the bright lights and artificial screens reminded him of a laser tag arena or trampoline park.
But the odd environment for the NBA’s restart quickly faded into the background, while attention shifted to the on-court competition.
It’s always easy to draw far too much from exhibition play. Kick things up a few more notches when Thursday represented the Suns’ first game-like action in 135 days because of the coronavirus pandemic. Heck, the occasion was worth holding a virtual watch party.
Williams, though, said the Suns’ 101-88 victory over Utah was an example of his players carrying over the mentality and approach they have exhibited for two weeks during practices in Orlando. That it illustrated the Suns’ no-days-off philosophy as a developing team aiming to take full advantage of being invited to the “bubble,” compared to the contenders that will likely use this time as a methodical ramp-up to the playoffs.
“Whether we play on asphalt, in a gym like that or at Talking Stick (Resort Arena) with 18,000 (spectators), we want our style to be the same no matter what,” Williams said. “So, yeah, it was different. Yeah, it’s weird not having fans. But with all that being said, it doesn’t bother us at all.
“We’re gonna play the same way. We’re gonna compete. We’re gonna try to knock you out every time we step on the floor. And we don’t care where we get to play.”
Here are six takeaways from the Suns’ first of three scrimmages before “seeding” games begin July 31:
1. With Ricky Rubio sitting out due to his late arrival in Orlando (and Elie Okobo and Jalen Lecque still away from the team due to personal reasons), rookie Ty Jerome started at point guard and newcomer Cameron Payne was the primary backup.
Payne, who is back in the NBA for the first time since early 2019, put together the craftier performance, finishing with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting, five rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes.
Shortly after entering the game for the first time, Payne buried a no-hesitation 3-pointer and hit an off-the-dribble jumper. Just before the third-quarter buzzer, he drove, hung in the air and finished at the rim. Later, he caught defenders off-guard with a hesitation baseline dribble and reverse layup, then fed Cheick Diallo for an easy score on the next possession.
Yet Williams said he was most pleased with Payne’s willingness to manage the game, something the coach said Payne did no look to do as much when both men were with Oklahoma City in 2015-16.
Williams offered similar praise to Jerome.
To the untrained basketball eye, Jerome (eight points, three assists) still looked a bit overmatched physically. But he helped direct a first-team offense that took an early 28-19 lead that held throughout. He hit a tough baseline pull-up at the end of the first half. And Williams noticed an increase in Jerome’s poise.
“He’s a guy that just finds a way to make plays,” Williams said. “There are times where the speed of the game can overwhelm him. But I didn’t see the same look on his face that I saw in the first 65 games, and that was really cool to watch.”
Williams maintained that, once Rubio comes back, “I want it to be a tough decision (on) that backup spot.” It will be interesting to see how the minutes are distributed for Sunday’s scrimmage against Boston.
2. Mikal Bridges (team-high 14 points, five rebounds) and Dario Saric (12 points, six rebounds) displayed why they have each earned public praise from Williams and teammates over the past two weeks. Both players converted at least one and-1 finish. Saric shot nine free throws, making six. Bridges remained an active perimeter defender.
Williams on Bridges: “Mikal’s a guy that I want to be aggressive on both ends of the floor. … We rely on him for a lot defensively, and I want to be able to rely on him on the offensive end.”
Williams on Saric: “Dario’s had an unreal approach and attitude. His confidence is at a high level. I haven’t heard Dario talk this much in my life, and I love it. And I’ve been around him twice now (also in Philadelphia). … I just love to see him playing with that kind of bravado.”
3. Phoenix held Utah to 36.4 percent shooting in the first half, which helped propel the Suns to victory. Sometimes it’s difficult to determine how much of that mark is a product of great defense, and how much of it is due to the opponent missing shots — especially under these strange circumstances.
But Williams liked his team’s communication on that end of the floor, an element he said was not as sharp as it needed to be about a week ago. The Suns also outrebounded the Jazz 38-24, which helped lead to 10 fastbreak points.
“Our goal is to get stops,” Williams said. “And, yeah, as a coach, you want it to look a certain way. But our guys are trying with everything they have to follow the schemes, and then let their natural instincts on defense take over at times.
“The aggression and the competitive edge on defense was at a high level, in my opinion. And it has to go higher.”
Williams also pointed out an in-game adjustment for Bridges while guarding the savvy Joe Ingels. Bridges had reached and been caught out of position a handful of times earlier, before shooting the gap on a third-quarter pin down. The ball swung, and Bridges got the deflection and transition dunk. It was key momentum play while Utah was making a push.
4. Deandre Ayton (13 points, eight rebounds, two assists) got a present on his 22nd birthday. On an out-of-bounds play following a third-quarter timeout, Ayton drained a 3-pointer from the left corner.
It’s an element of his game that Ayton has teased for months. And the Suns’ bench reacted accordingly.
“We put him in a play that they sagged off of him,” Williams said. “He knocked it down. I want him to take that shot. The cool part was his teammates want him to take that shot.”
Added Devin Booker: “The craziest part is he literally told me (at halftime) he was going to hit a 3. But I think he thought it was gonna be from the top, not the corner. But he shot it with confidence. He’s put that work in to be able to shoot it with that type of confidence. It’s a good step on his birthday.”
5. The Suns were in danger of copying a script that had plagued them far too many times earlier this season — letting a double-digit lead slip away in the second half.
Utah closed the gap to 63-61 when Jordan Clarkson hit a pull-up 3-pointer late in the third quarter. But Phoenix got that lead back up to seven heading to the fourth, then held steady through the final period even as the starters rested.
“Even when teams get it going, (we need to) come together even more at that time and use each other to get back in the game,” Booker said. “That’s what we did today. We never stopped playing. The communication was high. People were cheering each other but, at the same time, holding each other accountable.”
6. Williams acknowledges he’ll always find areas to nitpick. And minutes after the game, he pinpointed two “no-nos.”
The Suns crashed the boards on 3-point shots, especially at the top of the key. They also “ambushed” ballhandlers in the backcourt, taking the unnecessary risk for the steal.
Phoenix’s biggest statistical eyesore, meanwhile, was a 6-of-22 mark from 3-point distance (including 2-of-12 in the first half). The Suns ranked 19th in the NBA in 3-point percentage (35.3) before the shutdown.
“There’s some things that we can certainly get better at,” Williams said. “But the edge and the competitive nature that was evident tonight is something that we have to hold onto.”
Love to hear Coach say Mikal needs to be aggressive on offense, too. If he can make that leap, he is extremely valuable to a really good team. Let's hope that is a future Suns team.
Glad to have your thorough write up of the game and in-game comments last night. Direct TV lost the signal so I missed seeing the 2nd half.