{"id":519355,"date":"2026-03-12T15:40:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T15:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/519355\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T15:40:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T15:40:12","slug":"do-the-suns-have-the-best-backcourt-in-the-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/519355\/","title":{"rendered":"Do the Suns have the best backcourt in the league?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been thinking about this for a while now. Some people might call me crazy, but one question keeps coming back to me: could Phoenix actually have the best backcourt (PG\/SG) in the league\u2026in terms of depth? I\u2019m sharing my thoughts here, hoping we can maybe reach a conclusion together.<\/p>\n

Important clarification right away: Phoenix doesn\u2019t necessarily have the best guard duo, nor the biggest star power. What they do have, though, is something extremely rare. A full-on army in the backcourt. That\u2019s exactly why I consider them one of the strongest guard groups in the league as a whole. So the real question remains: when we talk about depth, could they simply be the best?<\/p>\n

A Backcourt Built on Completeness<\/p>\n

We can already talk about Phoenix having the most complete backcourt in the league, thanks to a rare diversity of profiles. Seven players who are all technically different, and all playable on a team that expects to make the postseason. The Suns have a backcourt that can adapt to anything the NBA throws at them.<\/p>\n

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Devin Booker is the star, the leader of this seven\u2011headed hydra. Every year he gains maturity: his game is calmer, less one\u2011dimensional, more oriented toward creation. He\u2019s no longer just a three\u2011level scoring threat. He\u2019s a complete half\u2011court weapon, capable of creating for himself and for others, with efficiency and cleanliness that are more than respectable for his volume.<\/p>\n

To complement this duo of offensive creators, the Suns have Collin Gillespie, who was in the 6MOY conversation before injuries and is now on track to finish high in the MIP race. He\u2019s probably the best pure basketball player of the seven, the one who \u201crespects the game\u201d the most, the most pro. Strong in impact metrics (DPM, RAPM), clean and efficient (89th percentile in rTS%, 99th in 3\u2011point percentage, 84th in oTOV), he adapts to multiple systems, controls tempo, and reads the game at high speed thanks to elite IQ and execution.<\/p>\n

Fire and Ice<\/p>\n

Behind the Booker \u2013 Gillespie duo, which brings stability and structure, Phoenix can shift into a much more aggressive mode with the Jalen Green \u2013 Grayson Allen tandem.<\/p>\n

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Green is pure athletic spark. This season he\u2019s averaging 14.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 22.8 minutes (including 25 points, 5 rebounds and 59 TS% over his last three games). He constantly pressures the rim and can flip the tempo of a game in just a few possessions. His inconsistency can be frustrating, but his impact is mostly about the offensive energy he injects into every game.<\/p>\n

Allen, on the other hand, is the metronome. With 17.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 30.1 minutes, he brings the outside volume and reliability Ott\u2019s system needs, taking nearly 10 threes per game at 35.5%. His off\u2011ball movement, discipline (even if he still carries his \u201cdirty\u201d reputation), and 1.5 steals make him one of the most reliable guards in the league. Together, they\u2019re the fire and ice of this team.<\/p>\n

The Guard Dog<\/p>\n

Then you have Jordan Goodwin, the guard dog, the catalyst, the low\u2011volume player with maximum impact. He\u2019s one of the best players in the league in a very specific \u2014 and often overlooked \u2014 area: generating extra possessions through offensive rebounds and steals. Beyond that, Goodwin is an excellent on\u2011ball defender, capable of being a POA stopper or an elite disruptor in passing lanes. His lack of offensive efficiency (89 TS+) keeps him from having a bigger role in the team\u2019s creation, but he remains one of the best role players in the league. And there\u2019s no doubt Phoenix will have to fight to keep him.<\/p>\n

\"PVAL<\/p>\n

PVAL : Possession Value \/100 possessions: Measures how much a player helps their team win the battle for possessions.<\/p>\n

The Finishing Pieces<\/p>\n

Finally, Phoenix can rely on a nice duo to close stretches, absorb minutes, or step in when someone needs rest or gets injured: the surprisingly impactful Jamare Bouyea and rookie Koby Brea. Bouyea is more established, averaging 15 minutes per game and firmly in the rotation, while Brea represents the future \u2014 only five games played so far, but flashes of a future rotation\u2011level shooter.<\/p>\n

A Backcourt That Can Become Anything<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve gone through the profiles one by one, and they\u2019re all unique. That\u2019s what allows Jordan Ott to deploy an extremely wide range of systems, lineups, and tactical approaches. Among the 12 lineups with 100+ possessions this season, seven feature a different backcourt \u2014 and with Green returning, that number will likely rise. Phoenix has seven playable guards, whether as starters or rotation pieces.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

With this pool, Ott can shape his team based on context, opponent, or game momentum. He can go with a scoring\u2011heavy backcourt like Booker\/Green (+13.9 net rating), which imposes pace and pressure. He can choose control and management with Booker\/Gillespie (+7.5). For maximum spacing, Gillespie\/Allen (+1.1) stretches the floor. For defensive impact, Goodwin\/Gillespie (+11.9) brings aggression and discipline. For balance, Booker\/Goodwin (+9.7) is a natural option. And for speed, small\u2011ball, and quickness, Bouyea\/Gillespie (+2.3) offers a totally different dynamic.<\/p>\n

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These are just examples \u2014 there are more combinations \u2014 but very few teams can claim such richness in the backcourt, with six duos already capable of fulfilling a precise mission while being both reliable and effective.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go back to the initial question. Do the Suns have the best backcourt in the league? As we\u2019ve seen, they don\u2019t have the flashiest or most powerful guard group. But in terms of depth, variety, reliability, and adaptability\u2026it\u2019s hard to find anything better in today\u2019s NBA. And in that specific category, Phoenix does have the best backcourt in the league in my eyes. OKC and the Spurs are strong contenders too \u2014 dangerous, well\u2011built \u2014 but are they as versatile? I don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n

In the end, this is just one question among many that crossed my mind. And realistically, it\u2019s not the sheer number that matters. It\u2019s the versatility and depth across all tiers. Three, four, or five guys are enough to build an effective, reliable backcourt. What about you ? How do you see it?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve been thinking about this for a while now. Some people might call me crazy, but one question…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":519356,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[234606,158797,36057,36316,6412,22541,234607,355,18740,99,95710],"class_list":["post-519355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-backcourt","tag-collin-gillespie","tag-devin-booker","tag-grayson-allen","tag-jalen-green","tag-jordan-goodwin","tag-koby-brea","tag-nba","tag-phoenix","tag-sports","tag-the-suns"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519355\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/519356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=519355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=519355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}