As I sit back and reflect on the third week of the NBA season, I find myself pondering the same question I ask every week: What did we learn?
The Phoenix Suns went 2-2 this week, and my biggest takeaway is a reminder that, despite the rocky and occasionally frustrating path they’ve taken to get here, this team is ultimately performing relatively close to what we expected from an overall perspective. Think about it. Las Vegas projected the Suns to win 38.5 games this season. Based on our polling here at Bright
Side of the Sun, the majority of respondents believed Phoenix would finish somewhere between 44 and 47 wins. What does that tell us? Regardless of which projection you subscribe to, we’re talking about a team expected to hover somewhere around .500.
And what does a team hovering around .500 look like? Inconsistent. There are going to be lapses in execution, questions about schematic philosophies, frustrating rotations, and stretches where the team struggles to establish any semblance of consistency. There will be games you believe Phoenix should win, only for one of those deficiencies to rear its ugly head and derail the evening. Conversely, there will be nights that appear to be scheduled losses, only for the Suns to exceed expectations and deliver a performance that reminds you why you were optimistic about them in the first place. That’s the nature of a team living somewhere in the middle.
Yet because we experience the season one game at a time, dissecting every possession, rotation, adjustment, and coaching decision, our reactions tend to swing wildly from one extreme to the other. One night we’re questioning the direction of the franchise, and the next we’re convincing ourselves that perhaps this team has figured something out. It’s an emotional roller coaster, and when you’re invested in every outcome, it’s difficult to avoid getting caught up in the moment. But when you pull back and examine the bigger picture, the trajectory of this team remains relatively aligned with what we believed it would be before the season began.
Granted, I don’t think many of us anticipated this particular path. We might have expected different strengths, different weaknesses, or a more predictable formula for success. That’s the beauty of an NBA season. There is no predetermined route to reaching your expectations. The journey reveals itself through the games, the adjustments, the unexpected contributions, and the opportunities that emerge along the way. And that’s what makes watching it worthwhile.
The frustrations of one night and the elation of the next are all part of the experience. We can scrutinize the minutiae, debate what needs to change, and celebrate the moments when things finally click, but ultimately, the Suns are navigating a season that, so far, looks an awful lot like the one we anticipated.
It’s also worth remembering that Phoenix hasn’t exactly been handed an easy opening stretch. According to ESPN, the Suns have faced the toughest schedule in the NBA to begin the season. That context matters, particularly for a roster still developing chemistry, establishing rotations, and learning how to execute consistently within its systems.
Perhaps as that continuity develops, players accumulate more minutes together, and the schedule begins to soften, the Suns will find themselves moving closer to the winning percentage we expected when the season began.
Because while a 3-5 record might feel disappointing in the moment, it doesn’t necessarily indicate that this team is falling short of its projected destiny. It might simply be the early turbulence that comes with being exactly the kind of team we thought it was. And that is what I learned this week.
Week 3 Record: 2-2
@ Golden State Warriors, L, 116-113
vs. Portland Trail Blazers, L, 132-119
vs. Orlando Magic, W, 117-104
vs. Houston Rockets, W, 102-99
Malu-Watch
We’re beginning to see some progress from Khaman Maluach as the season continues. Much like our overall expectations for the Suns, inconsistency is going to be part of the equation, and that’s perfectly understandable for a young player still learning how to navigate the NBA. His hands aren’t always reliable, his positioning can be questionable, and there are moments when his inexperience is painfully evident. But his effectiveness, combined with his desire to compete, is creating opportunities, and he’s beginning to capitalize on them.
When we look at his restocks per 36, the combination of rebounds, steals, and blocks, Maluach posted a total of 16.6 this past week, his highest weekly mark of the season. Much of that production came against the Houston Rockets, when he delivered a stellar performance in 18 minutes off the bench, grabbing 10 rebounds, blocking two shots, and recording a steal. That performance translated to an impressive 25.5 restocks per 36 minutes.
Now, you can certainly point to the fact that Houston was without Steven Adams and Clint Capela, which created a favorable opportunity for Maluach to make an impact. And you’d be correct. Their absence opened a door that might otherwise have remained closed. But here’s the important part. Maluach walked through that door.
His rebounding percentage is gradually improving as well. Among NBA players who averaged at least 15 minutes per game this past week, Maluach ranked 22nd with a 16.6% rebound percentage. That same 16.6% mark leads the Suns for the season, further illustrating how valuable his presence can be on the glass for a team that desperately needs help in that department.
I like the adjustment Jordan Ott has made by bringing Maluach off the bench. Do we ultimately want to see him become the starting center? Absolutely. But there’s value in allowing him to develop in a role that better suits where he is right now. Oso Ighodaro provides greater offensive stability with his ability to facilitate and operate within the flow of the system, while his defensive versatility gives Phoenix more flexibility when switching assignments.
After all, the Suns’ starting lineup with Maluach has posted a troubling -21 net rating. That’s a significant indicator that the original configuration wasn’t producing the desired results, regardless of how much we want to prioritize the rookie’s development.
Ott deserves credit for recognizing that and making the adjustment. Bringing Maluach off the bench allows him to continue gaining valuable experience, capitalize on favorable matchups, and build confidence without the immediate responsibility of anchoring a starting unit that’s still trying to establish its identity.It’s an adjustment that benefits both the team and the player, and as Maluach continues to develop, those opportunities should only become more meaningful.
Stat Me, Dave
I used up my Ryan Dunn stat yesterday, and that was a good one. So I’ll have to dig and find a different one…
Let’s do this one: Devin Booker is 5th in the NBA in high-leverage points per game.
We know clutch, right? 5 minutes, 5-point margin. “High leverage” goes a bit beyond that. Per HoopsJunkie, “high leverage possessions are the moments in a game where the outcome hangs in the balance. These are the plays that can meaningfully swing a game’s win probability and they tend to occur in close games as time winds down.”
I recommend delving into their metrics to how they determine it, but the fact that Booker is 5th in the NBA in the metric is of note.
Next Week
Four more games are on the slate for the Phoenix Suns in Week 4, beginning tonight against the San Antonio Spurs. This is a team that has won seven consecutive games after dropping its first two contests of the season, with its most recent victory coming against the Portland Trail Blazers. San Antonio is beginning to look like a machine, particularly with its three-guard combination of De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper. That trio, alongside Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama, has produced a staggering +30.3 net rating in 100 minutes together. It’s a lineup that presents problems on both ends of the floor, and Phoenix will have its hands full trying to slow it down.
After that, the schedule begins to lighten up a bit as the Suns host the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. The Clippers appear to be heading in the opposite direction of San Antonio, struggling to establish any meaningful momentum early in the season. And while Phoenix will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back, this is hopefully one of those opportunities where the Suns can take care of business without making things unnecessarily complicated.
Thursday brings a matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, along with an opportunity to welcome Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen back to the friendly confines of Phoenix. Despite the impressive individual performances we’ve seen from Allen, Charlotte has lost six consecutive games and currently sits at 3-7. A team that reached the Play-In Tournament last season appears to be heading in the wrong direction, making this another matchup where Phoenix should have an opportunity to capitalize.
The week concludes next Sunday when the Suns face the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time this season, closing out their current seven-game homestand. And the Lakers, led by Luka Doncic, have been absolutely eviscerating opponents offensively. Los Angeles leads the NBA in scoring at 122.0 points per game, while also ranking third in steals at 10.7 and third in blocks at 6.5.
So while much of the attention surrounding the Lakers understandably centers on Luka and their offensive firepower, their defensive production deserves recognition as well. They possess the ability to overwhelm opponents with their scoring while generating enough defensive disruption to create additional opportunities on the other end.
It’s an interesting week ahead for Phoenix. The Spurs and Lakers present significant challenges, while the Clippers and Hornets offer opportunities to build momentum. If the Suns can continue developing the defensive identity we’ve witnessed over their past two victories, there’s a chance to turn a difficult opening stretch into something that begins to resemble the team we expected entering the season.
Last week, the majority of the community voted that the Suns would finish 2-2. Where do they finish this week?
That’s it for this week, Bright Siders. Stay frosty.
