Young Suns Need to Win to Sew Up Home Court

Why the Phoenix Suns need to continue to win for reasons that may not appear obvious. The Suns young core benefits from home court throughout the playoffs, one reason why the team needs to continue to win. The Suns lead the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors by eight games for the best record in the NBA after defeating the New Orleans Pelicans Tuesday night.

Phoenix’s mix of veterans and youth continues to win despite the teams injuries. Still six of the teams top ten players are 27 or younger. Younger players tend to play better at home. All players find it easier to play in an environment where they are comfortable. Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Deandre Ayton, and Cameron Johnson all will be in the playoffs for the second time. Yes, the Suns road record is the best in the league. Home court advantage means more in basketball in the playoffs. Teams with best records in the regular season make the deepest runs.

Winning to Rest Starters and Figure Out Rotation Goes Together

The load on the Suns starters, in terms of minutes, has not been too heavy despite the injuries. Playing the durable Mikal Bridges thirty five minutes a night in the last five games might not seem that bad. Asking Booker to set up teamates and score taxes him more than if he played more off ball with a healthy Chris Paul. The rotation shifted due to Cameron Johnson’s injury as well.

The Suns depth, rotation, and starters rest all go together. The changes in the rotation come when Chris Paul and Cameron Johnson return. What happens to Landry Shamet, Torrey Craig, and Aaron Holiday in terms of their minutes and spots in the rotation? Winning gives the Suns more time for Monty Williams and his staff more time to figure that out. Resting starters, other than Paul, helps as well. Shamet in particular could benefit from playing more with Paul. The sooner the team figures these things out the easier the transition to the postseason will be.

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