Not great. Some people would pick less euphemistic words, but I’m trying to be nice. I’ll admit I didn’t envision this happening. I never expected the Suns to be world beaters, but I also didn’t expect them to be a punching bag as they stumbled out of the gate.
The most glaring deficiency with the Suns through the first six games is defense. The Suns are second to last in points per game allowed, behind only the Chicago Bulls, at 124.3 points per game. After a bleak 1-4 start, they surrendered a season-high
132 points last night when they knew this was a critical match to right the ship. The Suns are dead last in Defensive Rating, allowing 125.6 points per 100 possessions.
The Suns need to find a lineup that can get stops. That should be the main priority in practices. Switch people around and try to get something to click. Switch people around in the games if they aren’t giving maximum effort. I’m fine with anybody sitting down and watching what effort looks like.
Sometimes it appears the Suns struggle with fundamentals like switching or fighting over screens. Effort, strategy, and execution. One hand needs to know what the other is doing.
Someone I went to the game with last night, who isn’t a basketball aficionado, said it just seemed like Portland was scoring so fast and easily. I guess you don’t have to be a basketball genius to see the Suns suck at defense right now. She said the Suns also missed a lot of threes. The Suns could have been better. They shot 10-of-36 from deep for a 27.8% clip. Maybe if another two or three of those went in when the Suns were trying to close the gap, things could have turned out a little differently.
I told her that, the way I look at it, three-point shooting is mostly something that improves with practice. It’s not like defense, where if a player gives maximum effort, their performance can improve in real time. Effort doesn’t affect shooting in the same way it does defense. A lot of defense is effort, and the Suns aren’t meeting the standard they set last season.
I have always considered defensive rebounding as part of defense. That word in front of rebounding is the hint. A defensive rebound ends an offensive possession, and ending the opponent’s possession is important. Portland snatched 16 offensive rebounds against the Suns, who are relinquishing the third-most offensive boards in the league at 14.5 per game. Boxing out might help. I hope they realize that because they are not doing it.
The Suns need to rebound by committee. Khaman Maluach is leading the team in rebounds per 36 minutes with 11.2, but other holes in his game prevent him from being a true anchor at this early stage.
Last season, Mark Williams was second on the team in rebounds per 36 minutes, and Jordan Goodwin was sixth. Goodwin was also second in defensive rating. Getting these guys back could definitely have a positive effect, but for the Suns to turn this around, they will need to ramp up effort. This isn’t just a scheme issue.
Where is the continuity, chemistry, and…. joy?
The Suns have 10 players averaging over 10 minutes a game this season. Of those 10, eight were teammates on the Suns last season. Only Miles Bridges and Luke Kennard are being incorporated into whatever system the Suns are attempting to run. This year the Suns don’t look like they dislike each other, but they don’t have the same energy.
One possible cause of the perceived chemistry issues is that Jalen Green is being asked to play a different role, more as a distributor. Unfortunately, through six games, he is averaging just 3.3 assists, which is exactly his career average. The Suns are now 18-20 in regular-season games when Green plays. 18-24, counting the bloodbath at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Suns might be trying to shift from Point Book to Point Green, but right now it looks like an experiment with less-than-impressive results.
Sometimes I think it might just be easier for the Suns to get a real point guard. Then other players would be freed up to exploit their strengths. This happened when Chris Paul played with Devin Booker, and they had a decent run, but that isn’t this roster.
Ott needs to determine who is best equipped for this role, since there isn’t a perfect fit. If it is Green, then Jalen needs to figure this out fast. The clock is ticking. If it isn’t Green, then Ott needs to figure this out fast. The clock is ticking.
The Suns have a problem in the middle.
I may have softened a little in the midsection as I’ve gotten older, but the Suns’ underbelly is softer than an armadillo’s. The problem is the Suns don’t have a protective shell. They are just kind of soft overall right now.
Maluach looks like the game is entirely too fast for him at this stage. By the time he sees where he needs to be, the play has already evolved past the point for him to get involved. Maluach has obvious talent, but his positioning needs a lot of work and… he has hands of stone. Oso Ighodaro is averaging 4.3 assists per game and has demonstrated the ability as a playmaker to find cutting teammates for easy baskets, but he lacks the size of a true big man and will be at a disadvantage almost nightly.
The Suns need to rebound as a team. Last season Mark Williams was second on the team in rebounds per 36 minutes, and Jordan Goodwin was second. Goodwin was also second in defensive rating. Getting these guys back could definitely have an effect, but for the Suns to turn this around, they will need to ramp up effort. This isn’t just a scheme issue.
Can the Suns fix this from within? I don’t know. The optics have not been encouraging.
There are things that we should at least hope to see.
1. Find a lineup that clicks defensively. Practice overall schemes and implement changes specific to the opponent. Players need to give maximum effort or keep the bench warm for someone who will. Maybe Jordan Goodwin’s return will help, but this needs to happen immediately. This should be attainable. Since the team is essentially worst in the league they could still be “terrible”, as Dillon Brooks described… and improve.
2. Figure out the rotations and how this offense actually needs to flow. The numbers here aren’t as pitiful as the defensive side, but the Suns are 26th in the league in pace, averaging only 97.3 points per 100 possessions. They are slow and constantly look disjointed. I can watch a losing team play basketball, but bad, boring basketball is a big ask.
3. Get Mark Williams and Jordan Goodwin back. The Suns’ injuries are exposing their weaknesses. Defense and rebounding are the biggest culprits for this start, and those are the main things those two bring to the table. Right now nobody is eating at that table. The Suns are better equipped to suffer an injury at other positions. The Green/Brooks/Booker combo should actually give good insurance with some overlapping skills. Those two wouldn’t make this team 5-1 right now, but anything would help.
4. Find a way for Booker to be a better version of himself. If Booker just plays like a good player, and not an elite All-NBA type of player, this team probably won’t make the playoffs. Steve Nash won MVP in Phoenix at 30, but Booker is not passing the eye test at the same age.
5. Try harder. Please make the fans think the players want to win as bad as the fans do.
6. Prayer. If any of you are religious or spiritual, it couldn’t hurt.
7. Jordan Ott’s honeymoon is over. Time for the part of marriage that takes a lot of work. Hopefully Ott and the players are ready to commit. Hopefully Ott is up to the challenge. He has an imperfect roster and he has to get players in their best roles to succeed…. even if he hurts someone’s feelings.
If these things don’t happen, it might be a long season… or potentially short for the people who can’t stomach it.
