Kennedy Chandler Is Back, and the Job Is His to Win

The Numbers That Traveled. In 11 games last season Chandler averaged 15.0 points, 6.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 32.3 minutes a night, shooting 44.5 percent from the field. That is a starter's box score compressed into a backup's sample size.

Efficient From Deep. Chandler hit 39.5 percent from three on 3.5 attempts a game, with a true shooting mark of 52.9 percent. His free-throw shooting lagged at 65.1 percent, the one clean weakness in an otherwise sharp shooting line.

The Defense Gap. His offensive rating sat at 113.3 last season, his defensive rating at 122.6, for a net rating of minus-9.3, the worst mark among Phoenix's top scorers. That gap is the swing stat: the offense could survive Chandler on the floor, the defense could not, not yet.

Ball In His Hands. A usage rate of 19.5 percent and an assist rate of 26.1 percent show a guard trusted to create, not just finish. Rebounding was the smallest part of his game, a 4.9 percent rebound rate.

Back On The Books. Chandler's move back to Phoenix is dated September 26, the same day Duop Reath signed. The transaction settles a backcourt question that lingered through the summer: Chandler has a spot, and now he needs minutes to match it.

A Clean Bill. Chandler is not listed on the injury report, a clear runway into camp that not every guard here can claim. Health was never his question last season; the sample size was.

The Money Context. Phoenix's books sit at $216.2 million, above the first apron, which is exactly why a cost-controlled guard who can shoot and pass matters more than usual. Depth like Chandler's is the affordable half of an expensive roster, and this season it has to produce.