Here’s a quick, fun over/under game with some thoughts on the upcoming season featuring key members of the Suns. The NBA season is a grueling 82-game marathon, so these numbers that accumulate have to be viewed in the big picture.
This will be interesting to revisit later this year to see how amazing (or poorly) I did here with these predictions. Let’s dive in!
_**Over/Under — 3.5:** 40-point games this season_
OVER. I have Booker dropping exactly **four** games of 40+ points this season, including one massive 50+ point game early in the year, despite his typical slow starts. It will happen sometime in November. Bookmark it.
This is his team now. It’s time to unleash trigger-happy Book. We need him to take over games. Maybe not 70 or 62 again, but I’m feeling a breakout game this winter. Let’s get more specific… exactly 57 points.
_**Over/Under — 4.5:** Assists per game this season_
PUSH. I have him at **_exactly_** 4.5 assists per game this season, as I wrote in [my player preview of Green here](/suns-analysis/88758/player-preview-jalen-green-is-the-swing-piece-for-the-suns). We need more attacking off the dribble like this… not just looking to get his, but adjusting and creating for others on the fly. He has the explosive athleticism to create advantages for himself. Now, it’s about putting it all together and making those reads in real-time.
I’m looking forward to seeing how he fits in Jordan Ott’s system, which seems to be predicated on ball movement and moving off-ball.
**Over/Under — 0.5:** Dan Majerle Hustle Awards this season
OVER. It’s his. Lock it up. Well, actually, maybe not so fast. Ryan Dunn will compete hard for it. Oso and Gillespie as well. There’s actually some stiff competition here, which is a good thing. Scratch that…it’s a great thing, especially after the year we just endured. But I’m going with DB here.
**Over/Under — 50:** Games played this season
UNDER. Prove me wrong, Mark. I beg of you. Williams has played in 106 of a possible 246 games with Charlotte, barely more than 40% of his career. That is not encouraging! If history repeats itself, Oso Ighodaro, Nick Richards, and Khaman Maluach need to get ready. At least the depth is there this year.
Let’s hope it changes in Phoenix for the big fella.
**Over/Under — 41%:** Percent shooting from deep this season
OVER. I’m feeling another ~45%-plus season from the former Duke Blue Devil. He should get plenty of open looks working off Devin Booker and Jalen Green, and the opportunity is there for him to have his best season yet. He looked sharp in the preseason opener.
This is no three, but the chemistry with Brooks looks good!
**Over/Under — 55:** Games Played
This one is trickier than you might think on the surface. I’m going OVER. He will likely enter the season riding the bench behind a deep guard rotation despite the lack of a true point guard outside of Collin Gillespie. He is behind Booker, Green, Allen, and Gillespie (at least) on the depth chart as of today.
All it takes is for one of those four to have a minor injury or foul trouble for him to get an opportunity. You also have to factor in garbage minutes. But ultimately, this comes down to me thinking he will simply be too good to keep on the bench.
“Fuego” is ready to show he belongs. I have a feeling he won’t stick on the bench for long.
Let us know your picks for these over/unders in the comments below!