Richard Jefferson Says Grayson Allen the Key to Phoenix Going Deep in the Playoffs

Richard Jefferson Says Grayson Allen the Key to Phoenix Going Deep in the Playoffs

Congrats I’m excited to be here first of all um look I’m gonna say this JJ uh a lot of things going on a lot of lot of moving Parts uh here in the last couple of weeks but you know I just say it is truly an honor that you guys went

Through all of this trouble to build out a studio like after I said I wasn’t going to your house anymore for you guys to build out this studio and have something so elaborate you didn’t need all of this JJ like I I I hope that that

You kept the receipts on some of these things but this is cool the the garden makeshift Studio was good enough for you look look that that was fine but look like I said I I’m I’m impressed that you put this all together knowing that I was

Coming here in a couple of weeks and so uh the fact that you guys rushed to do it the way you did to make sure that this was ready uh for our conversation this is amazing what a lovely week for us right we get to call a game uh

Saturday in Denver little disappointing embiid was out you called the Brooklyn nuts on Monday in a couple hours we are going to be calling the Phoenix Suns and the Brooklyn Nets Katie’s return to uh the Nets over the last few weeks we’ve talked a little bit on the podcast about

Some of the hottest teams the LA Clippers being one we talked about the Cleveland Cavaliers uh with the dunker spot guys as well uh for our draftking sports book segment I want to touch on two teams right now and that is the New York Knicks and the team we’re going to

Have tonight the Phoenix Suns uh Phoenix 13 and5 since December 26th uh they’ve had now a sustained run uh Bradley Beal’s played in 17 of the last 18 I feel like we can talk about this group now what are your overall impressions of the Phoenix Suns uh in this stretch of

Basketball well we’ve established something I think we established this maybe earlier on in the year what is our sample size what is the sample size 20 to 25 we’re close enough but but no but that’s what I’m saying we’ve established a sample size look when you get to 17 18

Like you’re pretty close to what okay we can have an understanding the team can kind of figure out rotations they can get a rhythm uh and I think now we’re starting to see I I I stand by the three of them are so special um you know when

You’re talking about Bradley Bill Kevin Durant uh and Devin Booker we’ve seen huge numbers coming up from book lately uh but I still stand by that the the most important ones are going to be the contributions that they get from other people and right now Grayson Allen might

Be having one of the best non-star seasons in in the league the way he’s shooting the three because he Bec so important you can send rotations to different guys you can throw a double at book you can stay at home on Bradley Beal you can stay at home on Kevin

Durant and then all of a sudden it’s like well who’s going to beat you and you gotta have those guys I’d go back to when the Brooklyn Nets had Joe Harris right they had those guys and it’s like that extra shooter that you have on the floor whether it’s Eric Gordon he’s

Played great uh uh uh Grayson Allen those are the guys that are going to make this team run right the stars are going to be the stars but eventually you get team teams with other three stars and then it becomes who else is contributing you throw a Denver you’re

Going to have joic you’re going to have Murray you’re going to have uh Michael Porter Jr but they have Aaron Gordon they have casy P they have so many other talented players and so the Phoenix Suns you’re like okay you know they’re big three are a Monster who are the other

Players and so far I think Eric Gordon played solid he’s got a knockdown shots and I think Grayson Allen’s been outstanding I think Grayson Allen shooting almost what is he 50% from three something absurd and so I look at that from a standpoint of you have no

One that you can leave open or they will beat you and they will score points quick if they’re down 10 12 that doesn’t matter they can score in bunches so I think the Phoenix Suns are starting do I wish that they had a little bit more

Depth yes but that’s the price you pay I love the I love the statement you just made about Grayson Allen he’s having one of the best non-star seasons in the NBA right now bring up the three-point percentage he’s just under 50% for the season over the last 18 on 5 .3 attempts

He’s shooting just under 56% over the last 18 the thing that’s been interesting to me and Booker of course had this four game Run where he was averaging an insane amount of uh of points but the thing that’s interesting to me they’ve essentially since December

26 uh all played at least 15 of the 18 games Bookers played 18 Durant 15 Beal 17 there seems to already be a little bit of a pecking order with the big three where it’s like Booker MH Durant Fel Booker’s at 29 a game Durant’s at

Just under 25 Beal’s at over 18 a game all super efficient all playing well um I went into some of the lineup data and this is what I found interesting so they’ve started to play and it’s only been 27 minutes that this group has played together but they’ve started to

Play Durant Summit the five uh they’ve closed some games that way they’ve closed some quarters that way um that group with Durant Gordon Beal Booker Allen has a net rating of 12.2 in 27 minutes together um nurkic who’s the one guy you you didn’t want to give any love

To we had him earlier in the season got off to a little bit of a slow start I thought I think he’s been solid for the last month or so um the group with Gordon instead of Beal so Durant Gordon nurkic Booker Allen that group has an outstanding defensive rating of 100.9

And overall 20.1 net rating it seems to me and you go in their fourth quarter data where they they’ve sucked in the fourth quarter they’ve been the worst fourth quarter team a lot of their best lineups in the fourth quarter have been really good actually so it seems to me like they’re starting

Now that Beal is healthy sustained uh run here of of 15 plus games where they can actually get into some lineups and some rotations consistently seems to me like they’re starting to figure things out and the fourth quarter stuff of course is something that we’re going to

Have to monitor number 30 in the NBA in offense for the season in fourth quarter offense they’ve been terrible in the fourth quarter well look again they’re the sample size a lot of times is rotation the finishing of games right you either blow out or you have a close

Game you lose a tough one you still have to figure out how you’re going to finish games and a lot of that is based off of who you’re playing against Kevin Durant at the five you can do that against I I would say 60% of the teams you could do

That if you’ve got joic if you might have you know if you’re playing against Miami if you’re playing against you know even the Lakers I would say like a team like that that has like legitimate bigs that’s probably not a great that’s not a great system to have Kevin Durant at the

Five but you’re playing small ball you’re switching everything across I think I think to have multiple finishing lineups right where it’s like hey this is the big that we’re going to go with this is what it show you know we’re g to go with nurkic that that’s kind of my

Line oh we’re playing against the Sacramento Kings and Kevin Durant has to guard sabonis that’s fine I I’ll I’ll adjust that you’re living with that I’m living with that because he’s got to guard Kevin Durant or somebody or a Grayson Allen and if he’s guarding a

Grayson Allen or even if you put him on one of the Lesser guys now all of a sudden he’s not around the basket right so he’s not around the basket he’s pulled over so you get better spacing so I I look at it as like you have to

Figure out when we’re playing against bigs when we’re playing against Smalls like who are our lineups and you got to have multiple lineups any if you got one pitch and and that you’re you’re in a you’re in a bad spot I think we’ll see that lineup tonight against the Brooklyn

Nets this seems like a team as much as they switch claxon at the five I I would expect to see that small ball lineup quite a bit tonight um and I agree with you by way you’re you’re going to give something up playing Kevin Durant at the five right it’s especially if you’re

Going to let’s say it is against Sacramento in the playoffs and you want to run that uh in the second half for for stretches with sabonis at the five you’re going to give something up but you’re also creating an advantage on the offensive end uh right now uh draftking

Sportsbook the the odds still like the Phoenix Suns as a title Contender they’re at plus 1200 fifth lowest in the NBA tied with Philly for for fifth uh and then in the Western Conference for conference Champion third lowest odds only the Clippers and the nuggets have better odds than them

In this clip, JJ Redick and Richard Jefferson talk about the Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and the Phoenix Suns in their quest for a championship and the role of Grayson Allen during this nice stretch of winning.

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