Conclusions are a rarity after one day of training camp. Some must wait beyond the Suns’ stay in Flagstaff, when Head Coach Jeff Hornacek will use the exhibition season as a live simulation for different lineups, plays, etc.
Yet there was one thing everyone – players and coach – agreed on after Day One: the team is significantly more on the same page than it was at this time a year ago.
“Honestly, the beginning of this camp has gone smoother,” said Miles Plumlee. “Guys seem like they’re more ready to play this year than even last year, even though last year we did really well.”
Even Hornacek was more effusive than usual in praising his players after full-court editions of set plays. Five-man groups would grab a rebound, race down the floor and quickly commence a half-court set. Once the resulting basket was attempted and made (or the first miss was rebounded and then converted), that group would speed off toward the other end for another go.
The Suns’ head coach is a stickler when it comes to execution, particularly when the transition game is initially thwarted. Arrive just a little too late to set a screen, cut just a little too soon before an area is clear, and the entire play falls apart. Hornacek made his NBA living, especially later in his playing career with the Jazz, by staying true and precise in offensive schemes.
“Guys are just in the right place. We’re not dropping passes, making mistakes. When you first get here, guys are normally missing all their shots, but we actually did really well today. I think coach is actually really happy.”
— Miles Plumlee
So it was a big deal when he enthusiastically praised the team for how well they had done just that after just one practice.
“They picked it up a lot quicker,” Hornacek said. “When we did our initial running, the weave stuff, and guys really got it and were running hard. I thought it was a great sign that they’re ready to go.”
Continuity helps. The Suns boast 10 returning players from last season, including its main playmakers in Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe. The coaching staff returns in its entirety.
Hornacek is also ensuring that the newcomers – rookies T.J. Warren, Tyler Ennis and Zoran Dragic, as well as free agent signees Isaiah Thomas and Anthony Tolliver – are put in a position to learn quickly. He sprinkles them among the aforementioned five-man groups so that each of them is plays with at least three returning Suns.
After that, the veterans have made themselves readily available when questions arise. Consequently, each newcomer receives relevant communication from a teammate who plays the same position.
The results were immediately visible.
“Guys are just in the right spots,” Plumlee said. “We’re not dropping passes, making mistakes. When you first get here, guys are normally missing all their shots, but we actually did really well today. I think coach is actually really happy.”
This makes life for the coaching staff that much easier. Hornacek already alluded to “new wrinkles” they’ll be throwing into the offense as camp and, eventually, the preseason progress.
Seeing how quickly his players acclimate to one play, Hornacek is confident they can handle more, which in turn will give opposing defenses that much more to worry about.
“It’s not like we have to go step by step on every single thing we do,” Hornacek said. “We can get into things quicker.”