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<\/a><\/p>\nNBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n
But what is it, concretely?<\/p>\n
Shot\u2011making is the ability to convert difficult shots in conditions where most players or teams would be inefficient. It\u2019s a mix of individual technique (in other words: the offensive bag), defensive or temporal pressure, and efficiency despite everything. Shot\u2011making is not a playstyle, nor a system. No team builds its offense around it. It\u2019s a skill, a talent that can differentiate certain types of players.<\/p>\n
Take Stephen Curry, for example, who statistically and visually is the greatest shot\u2011maker in history (peak of 5.68 in 2016), simply because he is an absolute threat anywhere on the halfcourt, whether he\u2019s contested by Victor Wembanyama or has 2 seconds left on the clock. Another textbook case: Kevin Durant. His range may be less extreme than the Chef\u2019s, but in his spots, after one dribble or simply in catch\u2011and\u2011shoot, the net shakes almost automatically (4.82 in 2014).<\/p>\n
In short, individual shot\u2011making is the ability of a player to create his own shot\u2026and make it even when the defense has done its job. Extended to a team, it\u2019s the ability to manufacture difficult but \u201cassumed\u201d shots, even when the system hasn\u2019t created a clear advantage.<\/p>\n
And where do the Suns stand in this season of change?<\/p>\n
With a score of 0.17, Phoenix currently sits at 13th this season. But since we\u2019re in the era of advanced data, we can break this stat down into several components: three\u2011pointers, midrange, paint, play context, assisted or not. From three, the Suns remain in their usual range (13th) with contexts where they\u2019re more efficient than others: 76th percentile on catch\u2011and\u2011shoot, and on the opposite end, only the 17th percentile on pull\u2011ups.<\/p>\n
The Suns\u2019 midrange score is sharply down compared to last season, when they ranked first at 0.94. This year, they\u2019ve dropped to 10th (0.17). In the paint, it\u2019s the opposite trend, but still not great (from 25th to 18th). I\u2019ll probably talk about it next year, but their paint game also has a huge margin for improvement, both on good and bad shots. On finishes like floaters, the team is in the negative, which is explainable by the departures of Durant, Beal, and Nurkic, and by the evolution of the game. But the Suns have gone from 0.47 to -0.06.<\/p>\n
This negative trend also appears in transition. Phoenix wasn\u2019t exceptional last year (12th), but now it\u2019s even worse: we\u2019re second\u2011to\u2011last at -0.17. In the halfcourt, they\u2019ve dropped 8 spots compared to last season, when they ranked first, again explained by player departures and changes in both team style and league style.<\/p>\n
Finally, to wrap up this heavy section, Phoenix also sees a drop in shot\u2011making on assisted and non\u2011assisted shots: 12th in assisted shot\u2011making and 16th in self\u2011created shot\u2011making (4th and 2nd last year).<\/p>\n
Individually, it\u2019s not too bad in some categories. Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks are both in the 95th percentile in midrange, Royce O\u2019Neale and Collin Gillespie are above the 90th percentile from three, and those four (along with Grayson Allen) are the only ones above the 80th percentile in overall shot\u2011making. The team no longer relies on this type of shot, but still has alternatives beyond our lone franchise player when needed late in the clock.<\/p>\n