Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, right, drives past Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell in coach Mike Budenholzer’s new offensive system. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
PALM DESERT, Calif. – There would be no history if there wasn’t a first.
It was a night of firsts for the Suns and Los Angeles Lakers during a 118-114 Phoenix preseason victory over at Acrisure Arena Sunday. It was the Suns’ first game under new coach Mike Budenholzer. It was the first time their new point guard, Tyus Jones, took the floor with “SUNS” stitched across his jersey.
And it was the first time in NBA history that a father-son duo graced the floor together in either a preseason or regular-season NBA game.
While much of the crowd anticipated LeBron James and his son Bronny James sharing the court, the Suns were more focused on their first real action in Budenholzer’s system, which puts a lot of emphasis on pace and creating – then making – 3-point shots.
The Suns attempted 32.6 3-point shots per game last season, which ranked 25th in the NBA. Against the Lakers, Phoenix attempted 39 shots from beyond the arc, including 21 in the first half.
Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal – the big three of the Suns rotation – only played in the first half, meaning the Suns were on pace to take 42 3-point shots. That’s in line with the 42.5 attempts from distance that the Boston Celtics averaged en route to the NBA championship last season.
“I still think we had a look at a few more,” Booker said. “None of them felt forced. (We were) definitely aggressive.”
Budenholzer added, “I think the pace and the willingness to catch and shoot and let the ball fly was good.”
Durant agreed that the Suns could have been even more aggressive in looking for the long ball, which was Budenholzer’s main point of emphasis during the week of training camp leading up to Sunday’s matchup.
“I think we could’ve definitely shot a few more… every team feels like they could shoot more,” Durant said. “That’s the new era of the NBA, just keep shooting them and knocking them down.”
Phoenix didn’t just chuck deep balls every chance it got, though. Many of the attempts were set up by the uncanny playmaking ability of Jones, who is known for having the highest assist-to-turnover ratio in NBA history – 5.56 assists per turnover.
He was right in line with those career numbers Sunday, dishing out six dimes and committing just one turnover in his Suns debut.
It’s the reason why Jones was widely regarded as the steal of free agency. The Suns and Jones agreed to a one-year contract worth just more than $3 million in late July. The former Washington Wizard is everything the Suns needed to complete their offense and optimize the big-three.
It also bolsters their bench by moving his former Duke teammate, Grayson Allen, into a reserve role.
“He’s been great,” Budenholzer said of Jones. “He just has a presence. I’m really happy with him. He was a huge get for us this summer.
“He’s a smart player. He plays with confidence. He doesn’t get himself into trouble. He’s fast but he plays under control. His game is built to be a high-assist, low-turnover guy, which is good for us.”
For the Suns’ Western Conference foe, there had been much speculation – both in national media and internally among the team’s brass – on when exactly LeBron James and Bronny James would share the floor together.
Would Lakers coach JJ Redick wait until opening night of the regular season in late October? Would it happen Sunday in LeBron’s first action of the preseason and the Lakers’ second exhibition game? Or might Redick wait beyond even the regular-season opener to see if the younger James progresses enough to have a spot in the rotation?
“We’ll see,” Redick said before the game.
Redick hoped for the moment to happen as naturally as possible so as not to make it a bigger deal than it already was. But much like everything surrounding the superstar LeBron over his 22-year career, it was very much a big deal.
And so, at the beginning of the second quarter, LeBron and Bronny walked onto the court together as fans rushed to take out their cell phones and capture history. With every possession, they egged on the father-son duo to give one or the other an assist to seize the moment.
The opportunity came once when LeBron dribbled to the right wing as Bronny elevated from the corner for a handoff and brush screen by LeBron. Bronny missed a 23-footer, but the significance of the moment wasn’t lost on the fans – or the players who were part of the game.
“Just a crazy, crazy moment,” Booker said. “We could talk about it all we want, but putting it in perspective, it’ll never happen again, probably in the history of all sports. I’m glad I could be there for the first time they touched the floor together.”
The Suns have four more preseason games to build on Budenholzer’s brand of basketball, beginning Tuesday when they visit the Detroit Pistons at Breslin Center on the campus of team owner Mat Ishbia’s alma mater, Michigan State University.
They open the regular season Oct. 23 in Los Angeles against the Clippers.