3. Teague’s Facilitation Would Provide a Boost

The Phoenix Suns would greatly benefit from a strong facilitator at the point guard position and Jeff Teague fits that mold. He has averaged at least seven assists in back-to-back seasons and could ramp up his production as a passer on a team that would provide him with more opportunity to utilize that ability.

It should not be understated how important it is to have a facilitator for an interior-oriented big man like DeAndre Ayton, especially during his rookie season. It’s crucial to have a ball handler that can effectively run the pick-and-roll, dish the ball to cutters, and to make quality entry passes to the post.

Phoenix has a lot of players in their supporting cast that needs impactful perimeter playmaking to create quality shots for them like Ryan Anderson, Trevor Ariza, Mikal Bridges, and Troy Daniels. The Suns would have two reliable playmakers in their starting unit with Teague and Booker, but could also stagger them to balance their lineups throughout games to maximize their complementary talents.

Devin Booker could greatly benefit from the Suns adding another playmaker. He is a reliable shooter when coming off screens and in spot-up situations but he is unable to utilize those traits nearly enough. Having a facilitator like Teague to shoulder more of the playmaking burden would allow Booker to be a more efficient scorer and have more energy for defense and perhaps be more durable too.

It’s important to simplify the game as much as possible for Booker because that makes the Suns better as a whole. They were the worst offensive team in basketball and Booker got pressured a lot as a playmaker and that significantly impacted his efficiency. They have done a good job of adding supporting talent so far for floor spacing and interior production, but a perimeter facilitator should be next.

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