Jock Landale's stats don’t tell the whole story, energy is what the Suns were missing vs. the Nuggets

Stephen Noh

•
Jock Landale's stats don’t tell the whole story, energy is what the Suns were missing vs. the Nuggets image

Over the last two playoff games, which two players have led the entire NBA in plus-minus? 

Shockingly, the answer is T.J. Warren (plus-28) and Jock Landale (plus-26). The Suns bench was thought of as a huge problem coming into their second round series against the Nuggets, but Landale in particular has given them a huge lift during their undefeated homestand in Games 3 and 4. His statistics over that period, seven points and seven rebounds in a shade over 21 minutes per game don't look all that flashy.

But his energy has been essential for the team. 

Landale had found himself out of the rotation towards the end of the regular season. He barely played in the playoffs prior to Games 3 and 4. But Monty Williams unexpectedly decided to close with Landale over DeAndre Ayton in Game 3 and the results speak for themselves.

Jock Landale has held up well on defense

Landale has been forced to guard primarily Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon, which are obviously both extremely tough matchups. He's done about as good a job as one can. 

"I just thought he fought," Monty Williams said after Landale's Game 3 performance. "His competitive edge was what we needed. Nobody stops Jokic. He’s a two-time MVP. But I thought Jock competed every possession."

Via the league's tracking data, Landale has held opponents to a stingy 11-of-31 from the field when he has been the closest defender through the past two games. He's closed out hard on Jamal Murray 3's, blocked Michael Porter Jr. at the rim, and picked off lazy passes for hustle steals. 

Nobody will be confusing Landale for a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. But he's done his job against extremely tough matchups, and teammates like Kevin Durant have noticed. 

“For him to guard Jokic one-on-one most of the night, him and [Ayton], one-on-one most of the night. I mean, [Jokic] still played well, but it’s still a tough job to guard him and not getting fouled out, and he stayed in the game, rebounded well, just played with energy."

Jock Landale has played tough basketball

More than anything, Landale's minutes epitomized a toughness that the Suns were lacking. 

“That’s my culture, that’s where I come from," Landale told Fox10's Robby Baker after Game 3. "In Australia, we play tough. That league out there is tough. Trying to bring a little bit of that with this...Just trying to play as hard as I can every second I’m out there. If that leads to exhaustion, that leads to exhaustion. I definitely got close to that tonight.”

Williams echoed those sentiments. "He just scrapped. You couldn't point out anything that he did from a high-level skill perspective. But he just scrapped."

Durant added that Landale's "energy was incredible” after Game 3

That energy was readily apparent in Landale's highlight reel, consisting of a ton of hustle plays. 

Landale's also been doing the little things to get Durant and Devin Booker open. Booker, who is leading the playoffs in scoring at 36.8 points per game, attributed his hot shooting in part to "[Ayton] and Jock setting unbelievable screens that free me up just enough to get [shots] off.” 

Landale has been playing a lot better than his box numbers indicate across the board. He's been a reason why the Suns have tied their series at 2-2, and he's given them a chance to come away with the upset over the top-seeded Nuggets.

 

Stephen Noh

Stephen Noh Photo

Stephen Noh started writing about the NBA as one of the first members of The Athletic in 2016. He covered the Chicago Bulls, both through big outlets and independent newsletters, for six years before joining The Sporting News in 2022. Stephen is also an avid poker player and wrote for PokerNews while covering the World Series of Poker from 2006-2008.