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After solid victories from both squads, the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns will meet for a thrilling duel at Phoenix Suns Arena on February 7th. Both the Boston Celtics and Phoenix have underachieved a bit in the 2020-21 NBA season, though some expectations placed on them were not realistic, especially on the Suns' side. With two teams that are part of the Top-5 in their respective conferences, it would be fun to create a combined lineup from these rosters.
Boston Celtics vs Phoenix Suns Prediction: Combined starting 5
The Boston Celtics are coming off a good win over the Paul George-less LA Clippers at Staples Center. Though George's absence was a big story from the match, the Celtics were also without Jaylen Brown, so it was a fair encounter.
On the Phoenix Suns' side, they defeated the Detroit Pistons at home to improve to 12-9 in the season and position themselves in the fourth spot of the Western Conference.
The Boston Celtics are 12-9 too. Even though they've struggled with the health and safety protocol and have missed some key players, they are fourth in the NBA's Eastern Conference.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown lead the Boston Celtics offensively, while Devin Booker and Chris Paul leadership are essential for the Phoenix Suns. In this piece, we will create a combined starting five with the best players available on both sides.
Without further ado, let us start.
Point Guard - Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns)
Chris Paul's leadership is often recognized as his best asset, and even TNT analyst and Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley has called him the best leader in the NBA.
His arrival to the Phoenix Suns was huge and made the team exponentially better. The Suns are now contenders to make the NBA Playoffs and Paul is a big reason behind that.
CP3 is averaging 16 points and 8.5 assists per game in the 2020-21 NBA season.
In his 21 appearances so far, Paul has made 47% of his shots from the field, 34% of his shots form the three-point line, and a whopping 97% of his free throws.
Shooting Guard - Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)
With Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown out for this game with left knee issues, Devin Booker gets the spot as the shooting guard in this combined starting five. Brown would have been easily ahead of Booker, as the Phoenix Suns' All-Star is having a quiet start to the 2020-21 NBA campaign.
Though he is averaging well over 20 points per night (23.1), Booker's current average is the lowest since his sophomore year in the NBA. He entered the 2020-21 NBA season after averaging 26.6 points per night in the last two seasons, but he has not replicated such thing in the current campaign.
Though his shooting splits of 48/35/82 remain similar to those from last season, his free-throw shooting has decreased noticeably. He made 92% of his free throws last year and just 82% this season.
Still, we should expect him to turn things around and perform at the level he's shown before.
Forward - Mikal Bridges (Phoenix Suns)
Mikal Bridges is one of seven Phoenix Suns' players averaging at least 10 points per game in the 2020-21 NBA season.
In his third NBA season, Bridges is having the best year of his career, as he is the third-best scorer in the team. Bridges is averaging 13.9 points per game with solid shooting splits. He has made 48% of his field goals, 38% of his threes (career-high), and 83% of his shots from the FT line.
On the defensive end, Bridges has been impressive. He is leading the team in blocks with 1.1, which is impressive for a 6' 6'' forward.
Forward - Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
Jayson Tatum's game continues to evolve in the right direction, and the 22-year-old is turning into a superstar right in front of our eyes. Tatum is leading the Boston Celtics in scoring with his 27 points per night.
Tatum's scoring has improved year by year during his four-year NBA career, and he has been consistently progressing as a player. After posting 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game last year, he is at 27/7/4 in the current campaign.
His field-goal percentage of 47.6% in the 2020-21 NBA season is the highest of his career with the Boston Celtics so far. Tatum is also attempting a career-high 7.6 three-pointers per game and has made 42% of his shots from deep.
Defensively, he leads the team in Defensive Rating and his 1.4 steals per game are a good sample of his opportunistic defense.
Center - Deandre Ayton (Phoenix Suns)
The number one pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, Deandre Ayton, is performing at a good level in the 2020-21 campaign for the Phoenix Suns. Though his average of points per game (13.9) is the lowest of his NBA career, Ayton has been impactful in other areas of the game.
He is one of the league's best rebounders right now, as his 12.8 boards per night rank fourth in the league. Ayton has been a great defensive presence for the Phoenix Suns and has been the main reason behind the team ranking sixth in Defensive Rating.
Ayton ranks 13th in the entire NBA in Defensive Rating with 105.3 points allowed per 100 possessions. Moreover, his rebounding ability has him fifth in Total Rebound percentage.
On offense, Ayton is efficient, even though his chances have been limited (10 shots per game). He has made 56% of his field goals and 71% of his free throws, which is solid.
Also read: Boston Celtics vs Phoenix Suns Prediction & Match Preview - February 7th, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21
