When you’re going through it, it feels like absolutely nothing can go right. For every good thing that happens, two bad things seem to follow. In the context of basketball, where five players are supposed to operate as one cohesive unit, that kind of dysfunction becomes maddening to witness.
Wednesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Suns weren’t taking baby steps forward. They were performing the old one step forward, two steps back routine, stumbling over their own feet while desperately
trying to find some semblance of rhythm. And perhaps that’s what this season is ultimately going to be. One long, uncoordinated dance performed by a team that can’t seem to get its choreography straight.
A season ago, the Suns established an identity built around toughness, grit, and hustle. This version of the team is developing an entirely different identity, one defined by a perpetual inability to find its rhythm. When the bass finally starts hitting the right notes, the drummer loses the beat. When the lead guitarist finds a groove, the singer comes in wildly off-key. Everybody seems to know the song they’re supposed to be playing, yet somehow they’re all performing a different version of it. And good luck trying to dance to that mess.
One of the few bright spots early in the season has been the Suns’ bench. That second unit has provided energy, production, and occasional stability when the starters have struggled to find their footing. Against Portland, however, that bench completely disappeared.
Phoenix entered the game with legitimate concerns about its size, although the first half offered some encouraging signs. The Suns outrebounded the Trail Blazers 23-19 and were narrowly outscored in the paint, 28-24. There was enough there to suggest they might be able to survive their physical disadvantages. As the game progressed, however, that rebounding advantage dissipated into the dance floor fog, and the rout was underway.
The starting unit actually did a respectable job putting points on the board, combining for 94 points despite shooting 29.6% from beyond the arc. There were offensive contributions to build upon, even if the execution wasn’t always pretty.
The bench? If you see them, ask them to report to the scorer’s table. Through the first three quarters, Portland’s bench outscored Phoenix’s reserves 28-11. Seventeen points. That’s the difference between having a second unit that can sustain momentum and one that sends the entire operation careening into a ditch.
Therein lies the fundamental problem with these Suns. They cannot seem to fire on all cylinders at the same time. When the starters produce, the bench disappears. When the offense begins to find its footing, the defense forgets how to function. When one part of the team finally discovers the rhythm, another loses the beat entirely.
For one night, you’d love to see everybody playing the same song. Instead, we’re watching a band that desperately needs a rehearsal, a conductor, and perhaps a few lessons in basic rhythm. And the dance floor is getting awfully uncomfortable.
Bright Side Baller Standings
Miles Bridges takes down his first Bright Side Baller as a Sun after posting a 21-point, 6-rebound, 3-assist, 4-steal, 1-block stat line against the Warriors on Monday. He took down 72% of the vote, one of the most dominant wins early on this year.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 6 against the Trail Blazers. Here are your nominees:
Devin Booker
33 points (9-of-19, 2-of-8 3PT), 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, -7 +/-
Miles Bridges
18 points (6-of-13, 4-of-7 3PT), 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 0 turnovers, -6 +/-
Jalen Green
22 points (6-of-17, 2-of-8 3PT), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, -15 +/-
Dillon Brooks
15 points (7-of-15, 0-of-3 3PT), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, -16 +/-
Oso Ighodaro
9 points (4-of-6), 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks, 1 turnover, -10 +/-
Khaman Maluach
6 points (3-of-7, 0-of-1 3PT), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 0 turnovers, -6 +/-
Who deserves it?
