How Is Phoenix, Boston And Golden State Are Better After Their Blockbuster Trades
Three Of The NBA's Best Teams Made Major Moves To Make Run At Next Season's Championship
The NBA offseason has kicked off early with some trades aimed at helping teams improve their chances of winning a championship or rebuilding their roster. Every new player acquisition brings a unique skill set that their new team requires to succeed in the upcoming season. Now, let's take a closer look at how the recently traded former All-Star players will contribute to their new teams' success.
Phoenix- Bradley Beal- Scoring Of The Handoff
(Thanks to Nick Wass-AP)
Although they had All-Stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker on their team, the Phoenix Suns struggled with scoring off the dribble handoff and ranked 29th in the NBA. In contrast, the Denver Nuggets effectively used this play with Jamal Murray during their championship run this season. Mikel Bridges, who was traded to Brooklyn for Durant, was the Suns' leading scorer this season with 62 points on 67 possessions. His 0.925 points per possession was the highest among Suns players and placed him in the upper half of the league.
Let's meet Beal, who performed exceptionally well this season by finishing in the top 17% and scoring 114 points in just 98 possessions. He skillfully created chances to score for himself from both the floor and the free-throw line. Impressively, he drew a shooting foul 12.2% of the time and had a 58% shooting accuracy from the floor. The Suns, as a team, only scored a total of 361 points all season, while Beal's 114 points only happened in his 50 total games played.
Boston- Kristaps Porzingis- Defense In The Half Court, Especially In The Pick And Roll
(Thanks to Mary Schwalm- AP)
Last year, the Celtics boasted a top-5 defense and had several players who made it onto the all-defensive team. Despite this, the question arises: how can Porzingis make their defense even stronger? Boston allocated more than 82% of their total defense to the half-court setting and ranked in the upper third of the league. However, Al Horford, Grant Williams, and Blake Griffin all ranked below the 55th percentile when defending against their opponents.
But with the addition of Porzingis, the Latvian big man who excels in the half-court setting, things could improve significantly. He ranks in the 80th percentile or higher in half-court defense and man-to-man defense. His ability to guard against the pick-n-roll is particularly noteworthy. The Celtics struggled in pick-n-roll defense, ranking in the lower third and spending almost 20% of their defensive possessions on it. However, Porzingis has only allowed a 41.2% field goal percentage, and his man has only scored 39% of the time.
Golden State- Chris Paul- Spot Up Shooting
(Thanks to Canadian Press)
A team with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on their roster is sure to excel in this category, but unfortunately, Jordan Poole didn't contribute much in this regard throughout the season. Despite taking the second-most shots (206), Poole only made 39.8% of them. And his performance didn't improve during this year's playoffs, as he only managed to score 19 points and missed 17 shots, shooting at a disappointing 27.2%.
This season, Chris Paul demonstrated exceptional skills in spot-up shooting, surpassing both Curry and Thompson with a 48% success rate. His impressive 1.29 points per possession ranked sixth in the NBA. Interestingly, adding Paul and replacing Poole from the Warriors' would result in an increase from 4th to 1st place in Points Per Possession, while increasing their shooting percentage by almost one percent.