How Steve Nash Utilized Amar’e Stoudemire and What That Means for Pau Gasol

August 28th, 2012 by Ben Leibowitz Leave a reply »
The Steve Nash/Amar’e Stoudemire duo in Phoenix became one of the most dynamic one-two offensive punches in all of basketball over a five-season span (six seasons if you count the 2005-06 season when Stoudemire played just three regular season games, which I don’t).

Nash returned to the Suns organization in 2004 and utilized Stoudemire majestically in a Stockton/Malone type relationship. Through pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops, Nash and Stoudemire were not only as efficient as a ticking clock on offense, but they were also extremely fun and entertaining to watch.

Now that’s not to say Stoudemire wasn’t already a great basketball player before Nash arrived; you don’t win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award by being a mediocre talent. However, when we compare Stoudemire’s stats both before Nash returned to Phoenix and in the first year with the eventual two-time MVP award winner, Stoudemire’s offensive efficiency is drastically different.

Final season pre-Nash (2003-2004): 20.6 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting with 3.2 turnovers per game.

First season with Nash (2004-2005): 26 points per g ...

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