Phoenix Suns Motion - FastModel Sports

The Phoenix Suns removed the interim tag from Earl Watson’s title and awarded him the head coaching position this summer. Having a full training camp Watson has the opportunity to put in the offensive sets he wants to run. The Suns have plenty of tools, a trio of young guards who can shoot and run the offense in Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, and Devin Booker. They also have young players like Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender who will need some time to develop but could find success in Watson’s sets.

The play below is an example of a set that the Suns are running to get their third year center Alex Len an easy jump shot. Bledsoe brought the ball up the court and passed to TJ Warren and made a thru cut to the opposite wing. As Bledsoe cut thru the lane, Booker crossed paths with him on his way to set a screen for Len on the block, the ball is swung from Warren to Chriss and then to Bledsoe. As soon as Chriss made the pass he ran down to set a pin down screen to get Len open at the free throw line. The play was executed flawlessly and Len nailed the jumper.

The Suns guards will be the main scoring threat as the team looks to play at an up-tempo pace. It will be important for Watson to find half court sets to get his other players involved and for when the game slows down. Look for this Suns motion to evolve, Len can go from this right into a side pick-and-roll, he can come off the cross to post up and Booker can come off the pin down for a pick the picker action. There are tons of variations that come from this Suns set and it very well might be a staple of their offense this season.

Mo Dakhil

My name is Mohammad Dakhil and I bring 15 years of basketball experience at every level. I was a Manager with Santa Monica College and USC Men’s Basketball (1999-2005), and the Associate Head Coach at Santa Monica College Men’s Basketball team (2005-2006). After that I spent the following 8 years as Video Coordinator in the NBA with the Los Angeles Clippers (2006-2009, 2011-2014) and San Antonio Spurs (2009-2011). During my time in the NBA, I spent 3 off seasons as a member of the Australian National Men’s Basketball team (2010-2012) including qualifying for and taking part in the 2012 London Olympics.