A lot can be learned going up against one of the best teams in the league, and no one knows that better than the Houston Rockets opponent. The Phoenix Suns own the best overall record in the NBA at 55-14 and are on pace to make their second NBA Finals appearance in as many years.
Success hasn’t come easy for the Suns as they were a combined 64-182 overall from 2016-19 and took their fair share of humiliating losses during that stretch. Fast-forward to the last two seasons for the Rockets and Houston is walking that same trail as Phoenix did before their turnaround.
Suns head coach Monty Williams can see the similarity between the two teams that prepare to play each other for the fourth and final time this season:
Just the way they play hard. There is an attacking mentality with this team. The different adjustments you have to make when you have young guys like that you can see it. That is how we were my first year in Phoenix. We played really hard every night, and it laid a foundation for where we are now.
Phoenix guard Devin Booker went through many ups and downs as the Suns were going through their transition and has propelled himself into one of the best players in the league. One player looking to follow in those footsteps is Rockets rookie Jalen Green who has shown significant improvement averaging 20.2 points and shooting 49.1 percent from the field since the last time the two teams met before the NBA All-Star Break in February.
“I see more comfort on the offensive end,” said Willams when asked about the progression Green has made. “I have watched him in the beginning of games taking a lot more shots off the bounce and shooting the ball more comfortably. Earlier in the year he was attacking a ton and getting to the rim. Now he is kind of mixed it up a bit.”
“The game is slowing down for him a little bit. It just takes a long time for young guys to figure that out. You can see the talent, and you can see he works on his game. You can tell that for sure. He has everything. He can shoot it, he is athletic, and he can get to the paint. He is one of the reasons they are so tough to guard.”
Phoenix is Houston’s first game of a four-game homestand before they travel to play their in-state rivals Dallas Mavericks next Wednesday.
