Dillon scored a new high with 32 points, and the Suns won 5 consecutive victories! 3 major changes were obvious after the 8-for-1 sale of Durant

Dillon hit a new high with 32 points. The Suns, which suffered a 4-game losing streak at the beginning of the season, won 5 consecutive games and rebounded with an impressive performance of 7 wins and 1 loss in the past 8 games! After selling Durant at a low price of 8 for 1, the team has three major changes.

The Suns won 5 consecutive victories

After defeating the Mavericks in the previous game and winning 4 consecutive games, the Suns faced off against the Pacers. The latter suffered serious injuries. In the end, the Suns defeated their opponents 133-98 and won 5 consecutive victories.

In this way, after starting with 1 win and 4 losses, the Suns rebounded strongly with a record of 7 wins and 1 loss in the past 8 games, rising to seventh in the Western Conference.

Compared to the improvement in record, after selling Durant to the Rockets for 8-for-1 at a low price, this Suns team, which seemed to be neither good nor bad, ushered in three significant changes in one go.

The first big change: Booker becomes himself

With Durant and Bill leaving the team, and the Suns' Big Three ending, Booker has finally found his familiar rhythm of single-core leading the team. He no longer has to assume the awkward role of a ball-handling organizer. He only needs to give full play to his most advantageous scoring and finishing ability. Especially after Jaylen Green is injured, Booker has become the absolute first choice on the offensive end.

As a proven super scorer, Booker naturally did not disappoint. Since the beginning of the season, he has quickly entered a state of full fire. In this game, he scored 33 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists on 12-of-22 goals, including 16 points in the third quarter and directly led the team to three quarters.

This is also the epitome of Booker's impressive performance since the beginning of the season. In the first 13 games of the season, Booker has averaged 28.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 7 assists per game, shooting 50% from the field and 37% from the three-point range.

After returning to a familiar role, Booker not only had the best scoring output of his career, but also had the highest overall shooting percentage in his career.

While opening up his offense, Booker's organizational development has also come naturally, averaging 7 assists per game, the second highest in his career, second only to the 7.1 assists last season when he forced himself to play the role of point guard.

The second biggest change: Dillon hits a new high

The reason why the Suns were not favored by the outside world after Durant and Bill left the team was mainly because Bill left directly through a buyout. At the same time, it was too cheap to send Durant to the Rockets for 8-for-1, only getting back Jaylen Green, Dillon, a first-rounder and five second-rounders.

But judging from his performance since the beginning of the season, Dillon's value is obviously underestimated. He is playing the best performance of his career next to Booker.

In this game, Dillon made 12 of 18 shots and scored a career-high 32 points for the Suns. This is also the epitome of his impressive performance since the beginning of the season. He averaged 20.3 points and 1.9 steals per game, both career highs, and his true shooting percentage was 57.6%.

Compared with the gorgeous statistics, fans who are familiar with Dillon know that his biggest selling point is his defense and mental toughness. He is a typical thorn-headed bulldog player. He has also become the catfish that revived the stagnant Suns.

Whether on the offensive or defensive end, Dillon brings energy and hope to this team on the verge of rebuilding.

The third major change: Everyone is brave.

Compared with the Big Three who occupied the ball for a long time last season, and the role players frequently took the blame, this season's Suns team, which has no record pressure and plays lightly, is everyone brave.

Iguodaro turned into a surprise player again in this game, scoring 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks on 7 of 9 shots. His plus/minus reached an exaggerated +52.

This is also the epitome of the good competitive atmosphere within the Suns team since the beginning of the season. The Suns are currently eighth in the league in points allowed per 100 possessions and tenth in the league in offensive rebounds. This is also in sharp contrast to the Suns team last season that was strong offensively and weak in offense.

These changes have indeed given the Suns, who are on the verge of rebuilding, the hope of returning to the ranks of contenders and solving the team's embarrassing situation. However, we have to admit that the Suns' 7 wins and 1 loss in the past eight games is mainly because their opponents are relatively weak.

If the Suns want to truly return to the ranks of contenders, they need to continue the current momentum and at least withstand the devilish schedule challenge in the second half of November. After all, they are only ranked seventh after 7 wins in 8 games. The competition in the Western Conference this season is far more intense than imagined.