NUGGETS SUNS HEAD TO HEAD SERIES

Williams has excelled at player development in the past. Ivey looks destined for a standout sophomore campaign, with the opportunity to carve out a larger role in Detroit’s offense while continuously improving his defense. He also put up 3.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. As a rookie, he averaged 16.3 points on 41% shooting from the field, 34% from deep, and 74% from the free-throw line. Ivey, a two-way talent, will also thrive under Williams’s direction, developing his craft as a three-level scorer. After months of recovery, Cunningham should make the leap next season, developing his playmaking and scoring to help the Pistons succeed.

As the prime facilitator for the Pistons, Cunningham-who was responsible for 30% of the teams’ assists this season-will continue to be surrounded by other young talents, including the team’s fifth overall pick this draft. The 21-year-old averaged nearly 20 points and six assists per game in 12 contests on 41-28-83 splits. With Williams’s guidance, he has solid potential to have a breakout season. The BackcourtĪfter his sophomore campaign ended abruptly with shin surgery, Cunningham is looking to lead the way for the up-and-coming Pistons. Williams and Pistons, GM Troy Weaver crossed paths working for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015, with Williams as an assistant coach and Weaver as the assistant GM. Now, he looks to accomplish the same goals in a new environment with a familiar face. Williams was able to develop and maximize the potential of Booker, Mikal Bridges, Kelly Oubre Jr.

In his final season, Williams took Phoenix-eventually led by Booker and Kevin Durant -to a 45-37 record in the West, finishing with the 14th-best offense and 7th-best defense. By the peak of his time in the Valley, the Suns had not only 64 wins but also top-ten finishes in offense (117.2, 5th) and defense (111.3, 9th) before their Finals run. Before his arrival, Phoenix ranked near the bottom of the barrel in offensive and defensive ratings-27th and 28th, respectively. He was also critical in boosting the Suns’ play on both ends of the floor. The growth since his hire was evident, as Williams helped increase Phoenix’s win total to 34 in his first year, then to 51 before the aforementioned 64 in 2021. Williams began his tenure with the Suns in 2019 when Phoenix was fresh from a 19-win season. Detroit Pistons: Three Key Beneficiaries Under Monty Williams Monty Williams’s Time with Phoenix Though the deal will become official in the coming days, it’s worth examining parts of the Pistons that will benefit the most under a head coach that helped the Phoenix Suns to recent success. But it’s unequivocal the odd schedule will impact this second-round matchup and probably not for the better in Denver.Monty Williams made history Wednesday night, signing a six-year, $72 million contract on the Detroit Pistons’ dotted line and cementing both parties’ futures in an arguable match made in heaven. And who knows, maybe Michael Malone matches Monty Williams in shortening the bench. Meanwhile, the Nuggets have been phenomenal while well-rested this season as well. All this rest will allow Phoenix to keep loading up. The Suns have only been playing six players for more than 11 minutes a game through five playoff games. While Chris Paul played 38 minutes and Deandre Ayton 35 a night against the Clippers. Both Durant and Devin Booker averaged over 43 minutes a game in Round 1. The Suns are one of the five-oldest teams in the league and they have a very shallow team due in part to the trade for Kevin Durant.

NUGGETS SUNS HEAD TO HEAD SERIES

The rest days and pauses before the series starts, earned by both the Suns and Nuggets who won in five games, and the stoppages during which is unearned should help Phoenix a bit more than Denver. There will also be two rest days between Games 6 and 7 if the matchup goes that far. Then the series takes a dramatic pause, stopping for four days before Game 3 in Arizona. The Nuggets will host Games 1 and 2 on Saturday and Monday, with the Avalanche possibly using Ball Arena for Game 7 on Sunday night against the Kraken. Here is the slate and tip times we know so far:

Nuggets suns head to head