The Phoenix Suns have been hyper-focused on three things this season: playing hard, shooting threes, and winning the possession battle. Jordan Ott stated at the beginning of the season that winning the possession battle is one of the most critical things an NBA team can do to ensure victory every night, and the Suns are doing it so far this season.
Obviously, the most basic and obvious statistic to look at is field goal attempts. The team that takes more shots on goal is most likely to win the game, but it is not always that simple. The Suns are only 5-4 this season when outshooting their opponents in shots on goal. Free throws, turnovers, and rebounding also factor into the possession battle.
Here is a breakdown of which box score numbers mean the most to the Suns winning the possession battle and winning games.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 16: Nickeil Alexander-Walker #7 of the Atlanta Hawks and Dillon Brooks #3 of the Phoenix Suns battle for the ball during the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center on November 16, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kelsey Grant/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 16: Nickeil Alexander-Walker #7 of the Atlanta Hawks and Dillon Brooks #3 of the Phoenix Suns battle for the ball during the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center on November 16, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kelsey Grant/Getty Images)
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Shots on Goal
As previously mentioned, the Suns are 5-4 when shooting more shots on goal than their opponents this season, and they are 3-2 when they attempt fewer field goals. In all four of the Suns’ losses against the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, and Atlanta Hawks, they had more field goal attempts but shot and made fewer free throws in all games, resulting in losses.
In games that they won without outshooting their opponents in field goal attempts, the Suns made 23 more threes than their opponents in total. Including games against the Spurs and Pelicans, where they made nine more threes in each game.
Getting to the Free-Throw Line
Phoenix does not often get to the free-throw line more than its opponents, but when it does, it is 4-1. When Phoenix does not, it is 4-5. Phoenix fouls a lot, with 23.1 fouls committed per game, 24th in the NBA this season. Phoenix plays an attacking, aggressive style of defense, which results in more fouls and more free throws for its opponents. Now, fouling at the end of games can skew free-throw attempts in games; it has sometimes caused Phoenix to lose games, and it sometimes is the result of Phoenix losing and being forced to extend games at the end.
However, it is still a key indicator that if the Suns get to the free-throw line on offense as much as their opponents, they will win more often than not.
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Outrebounding the Opponent
Rebounding. It is not as sexy as three-point shooting, fastbreak points, and other metrics, but it might be the Suns’ most clear-cut indicator of whether it will win games.
The Suns are 6-2 when they outrebound their opponents, and 2-4 when they do not. Part of rebounding is determined by the defense; there will be fewer rebound opportunities if the Suns’ defense is poor and opponents are making shots, which is what happened in the first four losses of the season for the Suns. Since then, the defense has improved, and the Suns are not letting teams beat them on the glass outside of their fourth-quarter collapse against the Hawks.
The Suns this season are 14th in defensive rating at 113.2 and 16th in defensive rebounding percentage at 68.7%. But since Mark Williams’ insertion in the starting lineup (and an admittedly cupcake schedule), the Suns’ defensive rating is 108.8, and their defensive rebounding percentage is 71.4%. If Williams continues to play as well as he has so far this season, the Suns will rebound, defend, and be competitive in most games this season.
Winning the Turnover Battle
Outside of the points on the scoreboard, turnovers are the most critical statistic that determines winning and losing in football. Teams can dominate in total yards, time of possession, etc., but if you lose the turnover battle, you will almost always lose the game.
In basketball, it is not quite as life or death, but for the Suns, turnovers and giving up points off turnovers are the biggest key to whether or not they win or lose games outside of three-point shooting. This season, the Suns are 4-1 when they win the turnover battle, and 5-0 when they outscore their opponents in points off turnovers.
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The Suns are 4-5 when they lose the turnover battle, and 3-6 when they are outscored in points off turnovers. In the Suns’ three wins when outscored in points off turnovers, they are a total of -11 in three games, basically even but ever so slightly on the wrong side. The Suns are -60 in points off turnovers in their six losses this season.
For the Suns to be the surprise team in the NBA this season, like we all want them to be, it starts with taking care of the ball and not giving up easy points off turnovers. The Suns will force their share of turnovers with how aggressively they play defensively; they just have to keep teams from turning them over.
This responsibility falls heavily on Devin Booker, Collin Gillespie, Dillon Brooks, and Grayson Allen for now to make the smart play offensively and not get turned over. As we have seen this season, teams will pressure the Suns’ ball handlers the full length of the floor, and the Suns cannot be loose with the ball.
The Great Equalizer: Three-Point Shooting
If teams cannot win the possession battle, the best way to make up the difference is 3-point shooting. Shooting threes wins games as we have seen so far this season. The Suns are 6-4 this season when they shoot more threes than their opponents, and are 7-2 when they make more threes than their opponents. That is the NBA: the team that makes the most threes typically wins the game.
So obviously, the Suns have to keep doing what they have been doing this season, get those threes up, and hope Allen and O’Neale continue to stay hot.
Can the Suns Keep it Going?
Outside of the Suns’ sloppy 1-4 start to the season, they are winning the possession battle this season. They are following the blueprint to win games through their effort and buy-in on what Ott and the organization are preaching. This team has the want-to, the competitive spirit, and the grit to do it this season.
What we’ll find out over this next brutal stretch of games against the Blazers, Timberwolves, Spurs, Rockets, Thunder, and Nuggets is whether this team has the talent to do it against the best teams in the NBA.