One of the big offseason moves was Chris Paul going to the Phoenix Suns. By making the move to get CP3, the Suns showed a commitment to their fans and to their franchise player Devin Booker that they are committed to winning now. So far, the move appears to be paying off as the Suns are off to a 7-4 start, tied for 2nd place in the Western Conference with the Los Angeles Clippers and 1 game back of the 8-3 Los Angeles Lakers.
As is expected, Booker is leading the team in scoring, averaging 23.0 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 48.6% shooting from the field, 34.8% shooting from 3-point range, and 81.3% shooting from the foul line (we can expect the foul shooting to improve as he is an 86.9% career shooter). Mikal Bridges is doing his thing, averaging 15.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game; Deandre Ayton is averaging a double-double with 12.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 1.0 block per game; Cameron Johnson is getting 12.4 points per game; Dario Saric is chipping in 10.6 points per game; and Jae Crowder is nearly averaging double figures with his 9.9 points per game.
As for Chris Paul, the big off-season acquisition, he's averaging 13.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game, still performing at an elite level. Paul is doing exactly what he was brought to Phoenix to do. He's providing some scoring, a little rebounding, solid defense (0.7 steals per game), and fantastic facilitating.
Of course, it's not just CP3 that is responsible for the Suns' emergence as a contender in the Western Conference. Devin Booker is an elite shooting guard and they have some other really solid complementary pieces in Bridges, Ayton, and the other players mentioned above. They are a very deep and balanced team with six players scoring in double figures on average and one other player who is 0.1 points per game shy of being the seventh. That's some real depth.
While we are still early on in the season, the Suns have to be happy with how this season is starting. CP3 is making an immediate impact and making everyone around him better, Booker is continuing to show why he's one of the top shooting guards in the NBA, and the rest of the supporting cast is doing what they need to do. I look forward to seeing how this Suns team continues to gel over the course of the season. They could be poised for an NBA Finals run.
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