"Look at line up data": JJ Redick warns against underestimating Phoenix Suns in the playoffs
The Phoenix Suns may be getting overlooked ahead of the NBA Playoffs. With the Western Conference playoff race heating up, the Suns currently sit in sixth place, just one game behind the fifth-place New Orleans Pelicans. At the same time, the team is also sitting just one game ahead of the seventh-place Sacramento Kings, indicating that this a closely contested playoff race.
Despite that, it's the teams atop the Western Conference, who have put some distance between themselves and the rest of the conference, getting attention. The Minnesota Timberwolves, who sit in first place, have generated plenty of attention for their stellar play along with the OKC Thunder and Denver Nuggets.
The way JJ Redick sees things, however, the sixth-place Phoenix Suns shouldn't be overlooked. During a recent episode of First Take this week, the NBA vet weighed in, reminding fans that the Suns shouldn't be overlooked in the West:
"You can look at lineup data, right, of any five man lineup that has played over 250 minutes. Together they have one of five of those lineups that have outscored opponents by more than ten points per 100 possessions. They are a good team. When they're healthy. They're an absolutely good team. ...
"We spend so much time talking about the Lakers, we spend so much time talking about the four best teams in the Western Conference. We should not be overlooking the Phoenix Suns when it comes to real playoff runs & real playoff contention."
Looking at the Western Conference playoff race, and the betting odds for the Phoenix Suns to win the WCF
While the Suns currently sit in sixth place, just ahead of contention for the play-in tournament, the team has had their fair share of ups and downs. Most notably, the team dealt with injuries that prevented the big-three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal from sharing the floor together.
So far this season, of 62 possible games, Bradley Beal has only played in 33, most notably dealing with back problems through the early portion of the year. At the same time, Kevin Durant has played in 44 games, while Devin Booker has appeared in 50.
Throughout all of that, the Phoenix Suns have been considered as one of the biggest threats in the West - when healthy. The trio's success, much like the LA Clippers in the past, largely seems to center around the trio remaining healthy for a postseason run.
With that in mind, despite sitting in sixth place in the standings, the Phoenix Suns sit in fourth place on FanDuel for odds to win the West. The Denver Nuggets sit in first with +190 odds, and the LA Clippers sit in second with +230 odds.
The OKC Thunder sit in third with +800 odds to win the West, while the Phoenix Suns sit in fourth with +850 odds. Just behind them, the Minnesota Timberwolves sit in fifth with +950 odds, indicating it's a closely contested race.