Taking Pressure Off of Nash

One comment by Steve Kerr in his ESPN interview by Simmons noted that the Suns look for Grant Hill and Boris Diaw to take some of the pressure off Nash this year. Unfortunately, Simmons made no follow up questions.

This is potentially a big deal. Since joining the Suns, the entire offense has been run through Nash and opponents have tried everything possible to stop him. The popular belief is "stop Nash and you stop the Suns".

It's easier to say "stop Nash" than to do it. The Spurs put master defender Bruce Bowen on him and really rouged Nash up. But for the series, Nash averaged 21.3 ppg on 48.4% shooting and shot 13 of 25 for three. Yet Nash stil dished out 12.7 assists per game.

If Bowen cannot stop Nash, it is hard to imagine anyone can. But there is a price. More and more teams are using double teams and simply pounding on him to wear him out. Some critics image the problem with Nash wearing out at the end of seasons is due to the number of minutes he plays. It isn't. It's the continual pounding he goes through.

How can Hill help? Back in the late 90's when Grant Hill was with the Pistons, he played quite a bit at point guard. From 1994-95 to 2000-01, he averaged over 5 assists per game every year including 7.3 assists per game in 1996-97.

Could Hill play point guard like Nash does? That's not feasible. But he could take some of the pressure off in the half court sets.

In the Suns offense there are three stages to what the point guard does:

1. Bring the Ball Up Court: The Suns try to bring the ball up court as quickly as possible. Barbosa is not viewed as a real point guard, but he can do that as well as anyone.

2. Early Offense: This is the part of the Suns offense which is run before the opponent's defense is set. Nash is absolutely amazing at finding the open man and making passes directly off the dribble.

3. Half Court Offense: Much of what the Suns do in the half court is run the pick and roll. Nash is outstanding at this, but it is the stage when opponents try to trap him, push him, grab him, and generally knock him about.

The idea appears to be to have Hill run the half court offense at least some of the time. This would not only cut down on the absue of Nash, but it would have at least one additional advantage. It would free up Nash to take more three point shots.

Nash is one of the top three point shooters in the NBA. Last year he finished 2nd with 45.5%. With Hill driving and kicking out to Nash, Nash would get a lot more open shots. Last year Nash ranked only 11th in three pointers made because he took fewer shots since it was Nash who was making the pass.

Will the Suns lose efficiency with Hill running the offense? Clearly no one runs the pick and roll like Nash. However, Hill is much bigger than Nash (listed at 6'8" 225 and is very good at attacking the basket. With his height, he can see over the defenders to make entry passes and overpower smaller guys when attacking the basket. He's also great at finishing at the basket. Nash averaged 66% inside the small circle, but Hill finished over 70%.

Using Hill at least part of the time in the half court offense should take some of the wear and tear on Nash's body while opening him up for more outside shooting. This could turn out to be a very big deal.