This is why the Suns are not contenders…..
In early September, I published an article on why the Suns would be secretly better this season (you can find it here). Why did I think this was possible?
1. KD is STILL KD. Also, this was right after his Olympic performance, which does not hurt as a player.
2. DBook and Beal are good scorers, and it is not as though offense cannot win games
3. Tyus Jones could be a better point guard, as he was looking for a breakout year with the Suns, to show that he can be a valuable player to a team that would be actively looking to contend.
However, despite their hot start to the season, winning 8 of their first 10 games, the Suns have had a pretty disappointing season so far, being one of the bottom 5 teams in the Western conference, being below .500, and with a record of 29–34, currently being the 11th seed, below the Mavericks who have just traded away Luka (also, wishing a speedy recovery to Kyrie).
So why are the Suns so bad right now, even with high level production from both Booker and Durant? And can they turn this around?
Firstly, when Booker, Durant and Beal are on the court together, they have a negative net rating. Now, on paper, this makes no sense; all three are amazing basketball players in their own right, but all of them more or less operate best as scorers, in similar areas of the court, which means that the Suns have a lot of iso possessions and not enough movement (from both players and the ball), which leads to a lot of dead ball plays, that teams in the modern NBA simply cannot afford to commit to. In short, just because they are great scorers, the Suns big three don’t mesh together very well, because their skillsets don’t compliment, but rather, overlap upon each other’s games.
Additionally, the Suns are in the bottom five in defensive rating in the entire NBA. For a team without a surefire offensive game plan, there will be a high pressure on Booker, Beal and Durant to score well when they are on the floor, which is why the rest of the team will have to step up on defense when either of those players are on the floor. Their starting center, Nick Richards, is slow footed on switches and is not the best rim protector, averaging only 0.9 blocks for his career, and did not crack the starting lineup, even during his time with the Hornets. Moreover, with his slightly underwhelming numbers, and lack of defensive presence and size, Tyus Jones’s effect on the Suns’ offense is subdued.
This point also goes to highlight the Suns’ lack of defensive versatility, with a majority of their roster being anywhere from 6'1 to 6'6, which means that they lack the ability to switch on defense, and keep up with faster and more athletic teams.
So defense and a lack of offensive cohesion. What else?
A lack of good chemistry and vibes, to add to the mix. KD recently threatened to essentially leave the team if they don’t make some changes to make him happy, which he did after the Suns shopped him around right around the trade deadline.
The whole situation of being unable to trade Bradley Beal’s bad contract, the lack of a real leader for the team, their on the court roster issues and the fact that Houston has an unprotected pick from El Valle that might make it to the top 3 if the Suns will don’t turn their season around, things aren’t looking up for those in the Valley.
