Suns vs Clippers: What to Watch in Rematch

What are three things that we could see from the Phoenix Suns tonight?

Oct 23, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) is defended by LA Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) in the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The 2024-25 Phoenix Suns have been off to a considerably positive start to the season so far, posting a 3-1 mark just over a week into the season.

Tonight, they return to Los Angeles to face the L.A. Clippers just a week after defeating that very squad in the season opener.

Some very interesting developments have also transpired over the last week as well - we will dive into some key things to watch going into the matchup tonight.

Lineups Diversification

One of the most glaring developments of the infant stages of this season is that the starting lineup has been the most inefficient five-man group that Mike Budenholzer has trotted out this year.

Per Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic, the lineup of Tyus Jones, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, and Jusuf Nurkic has combined for an output of -31. Rankin also pointed out that Phoenix is second to only the Memphis Grizzlies in terms of different lineup combinations so far at 69.

It will certainly be fascinating to see how Budenholzer attacks this particular game. How he mixes and matches a much deeper roster compared to last season against the wildly adaptive Tyronn Lue.

Could we see Durant minutes at the 5? It's possible, but remains to be seen until the game tips off.

Emphasis On Ball Security

The Suns have been much better at taking care of the ball since ceding an inexcusable 22 turnovers in the last meeting with the Clippers.

Phoenix now ranks 15th in the NBA in turnovers per game - and that figure should continue to go down with the presence of Jones and Monte Morris - both of whom have been as good as advertized on that front.

Save for a handful of questionable reads from Nurkic or mishandling of the ball by Durant, this Phoenix team has been far more disciplined when it comes to controlling the game and avoiding fatal mistakes.

Will that sustain tonight against a team that typically thrives in advantageous defensive opportunities?

Can Uptick in Three-Point Volume Continue?

Phoenix's three-point volume has risen by about five attempts per game as expected - that uptick has been apparent even without seeing the raw numbers.

While the volume remains higher compared to last season, there has been signs in recent games that the extent of said volume could have plateaued in the first two games.

While Booker and Beal are basing about half of their shot diet around looks from beyond the arc, Durant only attempts a little more than 30% of his shots from three. Getting Durant's volume up even more could add another layer of dynamic scoring to an offense that already has so much potential to be among the elite in the league.

As for role players, it would be nice to see Ryan Dunn and Grayson Allen get up an extra three per contest on top of the 4 each are attempting per game so far. Allen finished second in franchise history in three-point knockdowns in 2023-24 with 205 - so it's only natural to encourage the sixth man extraordinaire to keep it up. Dunn is seemingly as confident as ever on a basketball court and has been an unexpectedly quality floor spacer for the Suns even as a rookie - leaning into the confidence and giving him the green light to shoot could open up so much for his driving game - perhaps even the offense as a collective unit.

Suns vs. Clippers is set to tip off shortly after 7:30 AZ time tonight.