Phx-Suns.Net

19. Phoenix Suns (-1)
2023-24 Record: 14-12, Upcoming schedule: at POR (12/19), at SAC (12/22)

The Phoenix Suns have lost six of their last nine games and they really don't have a staple win this season. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are two of the best offensive players in the league, but it is time to start pondering the question of whether the Suns made a mistake trading for Bradley Beal.

After dealing with a back issue throughout the first two months of the season, Beal returned last week only to suffer what looked to be a bad ankle injury. He is now going to be sidelined indefinitely, leaving the Suns without their third star whom they gave up a ton of assets to land. A 14-12 record is unacceptable at this point in the year for what Phoenix wants to achieve, which is why they are going to be aggressive over the next two months on the trade market.

TJ McConnell has long been a backcourt target for the Suns and there are quite a few veteran players who could provide depth for this team that will become available. Confidence is the only thing holding this team back, as two straight wins this upcoming week would go a long way in them getting back on track. Just two or three big wins can push the Suns back up the NBA Power Rankings.

#17 PHOENIX SUNS
Last Week:14↓
Record: 14-12

OffRtg: 116.3 (12) DefRtg: 115.0 (18) NetRtg: +1.3 (16) Pace: 98.0 (26)

The Suns got 24 minutes of Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant on the floor together before Beal sprained his right ankle against New York on Friday. And they now have to wait a few more weeks before trying again.

Three takeaways

- In the one game all three guys were healthy (Wednesday), the Suns outscored the Nets by 12 points in 19.3 minutes with all three on the floor. But bench minutes were brutal, with Brooklyn going on a 19-0 run spanning the first and second quarters and an 18-6 run spanning the third and fourth. The Suns’ bench ranks 25th (and not close to 24th) in December.

- All three guys were healthy at the start of their game against the Knicks on Friday, and the Suns assigned Grayson Allen to defend Jalen Brunson, who eventually scored a career-high 50 points. Allen wasn’t the nearest defender for much of that and Josh Okogie wasn’t available, but there remains a question about who’s going to guard the opponents’ best perimeter scorer(s) come April and May.

- Without Beal on Sunday, the Suns came back from 16 points down to beat the Wizards. But they probably shouldn’t have been 16 points down against the Wizards and, with their losses to Brooklyn and New York, they’re now just 2-9 against (other) teams that currently have winning records. Those 11 total games against the top 19 teams in the league are two fewer than any other team has played.

That record includes a 1-6 mark against the other Western Conference teams with winning records, with the most recent of those losses having come against the Kings 10 days ago. They’ll be in Sacramento on Friday before facing the Mavs for the first time on Christmas.

Week 9 + Christmas: @ POR, @ SAC, vs. DAL

Wally_West wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 19, 2023 10:52 pm

I wish I could stop watching.

Uncle_Gene wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 19, 2023 11:00 pm

Suns need a veteran PG. Booker is better at scoring in the second half instead of bringing the ball up the floor.

Vogel has to figure it out and James Jones needs to make a trade.

Carno wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 20, 2023 10:19 am

Uncle_Gene wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 19, 2023 11:00 pm

Suns need a veteran PG. Booker is better at scoring in the second half instead of bringing the ball up the floor.

Vogel has to figure it out and James Jones needs to make a trade.

Who is this veteran PG and how do the Suns get him?

Rubio, 33, has been on permitted leave in Spain from the team since the summer as he manages his mental health and there are serious doubts about whether he ever plays again, league sources said. At minimum, Rubio is not expected back this season.

Phoenix is not doing the things that head coach Frank Vogel and his players talked about in the preseason.

The Suns are straying far away from forming the identity we all assumed would bubble to the surface from the moment Booker got into a low defensive stance and the Big Three helped the team shoot the lights out in the opening quarter of the preseason.

“Our guys are going to hear that our number one habit we develop all year is that we have to play harder and tougher and with more hustle than our opponents every night,” Vogel said at his introductory press conference. “Because if you develop that habit over 82 games, boy, come playoff time when every team is trying to ratchet it up, it’s already going to be there for us. It’s going to be a way of life of us, from the beginning of training camp into the playoffs.”

There have been frequent communication breakdowns down to the basics of switching rules...