The Phoenix Suns have some interesting potential lineup choices after selecting DeAndre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, and Élie Okobo during the 2018 NBA Draft and signing Trevor Ariza in free agency. With franchise cornerstone Devin Booker coming off a freshly signed contract extension, now is the time for the organization to turn it around and find some long-term lineup combinations.
It will be important that they manage to find some successful combinations that they can consistently rely on for results. It may be helpful to even strive to at least find some units that they can use consistently in general because their most used lineup last season (Ulis, Booker, Warren, Chriss, Chandler) only played 155 minutes together, which was the 148th most used unit in the league last season.
The results of their most used group were not necessarily awe-inspiring either. In the 155 minutes that they logged together, they recorded a 114.0 offensive rating, a 112.7 defensive rating, and merely a 1.3 net rating. It took the 16th best offensive rating out of the 125 lineups that played at least 150 minutes together to only slightly be a net positive.
What you could probably call their best unit when taking the volume of playing time into account was Mike James, Devin Booker, T.J. Warren, Marquise Chriss, and Tyson Chandler. They played for 104 minutes together and produced a 103.3 offensive rating, a 98.6 defensive rating, and a 4.7 net rating. The personnel in this group were underwhelming and adding more talent around Booker would certainly help.
When looking at their next most used groups from last season, you will find that their following three most used units produced terrible results. To put it into perspective, the third most used lineup had a -19.8 net rating, the fourth most used group delivered a -35.4 net rating, and their fifth most used unit generated a -22.7 net rating.
When evaluating what their top options are with fielding units, there are going to be a few constants even if the positions will not always be the same. Booker will always be involved because he is their best all-around player by a considerable margin and is their primary offensive engine. The other is Ayton at center with the inclusion of at least a main wing player or two.
Next Up: Surround Devin Booker With Wings
