The Suns need defense, Aron Baynes brings defense

On July 6th, 2019 Aron Baynes was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Phoenix Suns. Aron Baynes has a fan club. This is the impact the Aron Baynes Fan Club thinks Aron Baynes can have on the Phoenix Suns.

One of the Suns’ highest priorities going into the offseason was to improve the overall team defense. Over the past three years, they have had the 28th, 30th, and 29th rated defense and in turn have lost 58, 61, and 63 games.

With one stroke of draft night genius, the franchise may have found the instant solution to these woes. After the Celtics put Aron Baynes on the trade market, Suns GM James Jones wasted no time and acquired the masterful defensive stalwart as well as the 24th overall pick, NCAA champion Ty Jerome, for the small price of the Bucks top 7 protected 2020 first round pick.

Taking a deep dive into Aron Baynes’ defensive presence, only once in his career has a Baynes led defense been ranked outside the top 10 (2016 Pistons were ranked 12th overall). Baynes has been a center piece in four top 3 defenses in his 7 years in the league, including the 2018 Celtics who were not only the 1st overall defense in the NBA but also the 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Continuing on, every team that Aron Baynes has joined has seen a vast defensive improvement immediately upon his arrival. The Spurs jumped from 11th overall to three straight years of top three defenses, including two straight Finals runs, and a championship. The Pistons improved from ranked 19th the year before Baynes arrived to 12th and even lower to 8th in his final year in Detroit and lastly, the aforementioned Celtics improved from 13th to 1st, before dipping back to 7th.

With all of this considered, we must ask - is it fair to expect the Suns to transform into an early 2000s Pistons-esque team and darkhorse championship contender thanks to the Aron Baynes presence in the paint on the defensive end? Well, after seeing the effect he has had on defense at every other stop in his career, the answer is yes.

The Baynes Effect Defensive Rating Rankings

2011-2012 Spurs - 10th overall D rating (pre Baynes)

2012-2013 Spurs - 3rd overall D rating

2013-2014 Spurs - 3rd overall D rating

2014-2015 Spurs - 2nd overall D rating

2014-2015 Pistons - 19th overall D rating (pre Baynes)

2015-2016 Pistons - 12th overall D rating

2016-2017 Pistons - 8th overall D rating

2016-2017 Celtics - 13th overall D rating (pre Baynes)

2017-2018 Celtics - 1st overall D Rating

2018-2019 Celtics - 7th overall D rating

2016-2017 Suns - 28th overall D rating

2017-2018 Suns - 30th overall D rating

2018-2019 Suns - 29th overall D rating

Follow the Aron Baynes Fan Club on Twitter @BaynesFanClub.