Opining Suns: Five Stats You Need to Know

From the time kids first enter school, they are constantly subjected to a lot of different elements of knowledge. Words are important, as are historical happenings. One area that constantly is looked at with scorn by those in the schooling world, however, is mathematics.

Numbers scare people. There is no doubt about that. If you were to give someone a choice between learning how to solve a complicated equation, or deliver a speech in front of hundreds of people (another common phobia), most people would likely choose to deliver the speech.

With that being said, numbers are an important component of determining the level of success that a sports franchise is achieving in their given craft.

To illustrate this point, we here at Suns Spot are proud to present five stats that you, the fan, needs to know about your favorite team.

Phoenix Suns

Steve Nash: 11.9 Assists Per Game

Always known as a deft passer, Nash has taken his dish game to a whole new level so far this season. His 11.9 APG average is best in the league by a whole 2.4 assists over Deron Williams.

Couple that with the 16.7 points he’s scoring per game, and you are left with one extremely viable spark plug on a team that would be completely lost without him. Nash may be getting up there in age, but he can still run the floor with the best of them, as evidenced by the team’s fifth ranked possessions per game average.

True Shooting Percentage: 59.5% (Hollinger)

This is the first of two statistics that have been compiled by ESPN’s John Hollinger, and it’s obviously an important one.

Through a mathematical formula, Hollinger determines a team’s overall shooting percentage, including regular two point field goals, three pointers, and free throws. The Suns’ 59.5% mark leads the league, and is a testament to their skill on offense. Yes, they may jack up a ton of shots in each game, but when you account for their performance behind the arc and at the charity stripe, the Suns go from run-and-gun to world class.

Steve Nash

Offensive Efficency: 113.7 points per 100 possessions (Hollinger)

Making the most of your possessions is key in the NBA. Efficency within the framework of a 48 minute game often determines which teams win and which ones fall short of their goals.

In the case of the Suns, their efficency is tops in the league when averaged out to 100 possessions. They rack up those 113.7 points through a combination of interior play (Amare, Robin Lopez) and deft shooting from downtown (Channing Frye, Nash, Leandro Barbosa), and if you are judging by their next statistic, then this number becomes even more important.

Point Differential: +6.8

The Suns are outscoring opponents by an average of 6.8 points per game, which ranks them fifth in the league. Take this number, in combination with their efficency per 100 possessions, and you have a team that not only can score in bunches, but also can do it efficently enough to win on a consistent basis.

Opponents’ 3-point Percentage: 39.7%

For all the run and gun fun in the Valley of the Sun, there is always a dark cloud that looms overhead and blots out that good ole ball of gas from time to time.

The Suns’ percentage of converted 3-pointers by opponents is 2nd worst in the Association, behind only the Wizards, who allow a tenth of a percent more converted threes per game.

This number indicates one key thing: it shows that the Suns are allowing their opponents a lot of uncontested looks from behind the arc, and when you run into elite teams, with players like Rashard Lewis patrolling the perimeter, you have to be able to play enough defense to keep them from getting an open eye set on the rim. If a team is unable to prevent that, then they are in big trouble in the long run.

Feeling a bit stats-ed out? Well, just imagine having a guy like LeBron James donning a Phoenix jersey. Perhaps having Dwayne Wade opposite Steve Nash in the backcourt. Tomorrow, those pipe dreams will be explained when Jim Neveau has fun with ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine.

Tags: Amare Stoudemire, Channing Frye, Deron Williams, Dwayne Wade, John Hollinger, Leandro Barbosa, LeBron James, Phoenix Suns, Robin Lopez, Steve Nash, Washington Wizards