Phoenix Suns: New Look, Same Problems

The Phoenix Suns look different than the team that took the floor to open the 2014-15 season. In fact, two starters (Goran Dragic, Miles Plumlee), four bench guys (Isaiah Thomas, Shavlik Randolph, Tyler Ennis, Anthony Tolliver) and one inactive (Zoran Dragic) on that night are now gone. Almost half of the roster has turned over — but not much has really changed.

THE DEFENSE HAS BEEN OFFENSIVE

For the season, the Suns defense has been like trying to mop up a spill with a piece of paper. If it’s a small spill (poor offensive team), you might be able to get away with it. Anything more than that (80 percent of the league) and there’s going to be water everywhere.

The Suns rank 28th in points allowed (105.2 per game), 27th in offensive rebounds allowed (11.9), 30th in opponent free throws (20.0) and 27th in opponent field goals made (38.7).

During their nine-game funk, they’re allowing 106.6 points per game and are being outscored by 6.3 points per game, highlighted by plays like this one:

On that specific play, you’ve got a number of issues that compound into a breakdown. First, you’ve got Knight gambling (and failing). It didn’t affect this play, but that’s become commonplace. Next, you’ve got Markieff Morris on an island at the free-throw line. Who (or what) is he guarding? Last, you’ve got Wright staring at the ball as Taj Gibson goes backdoor for the easy lob.

In the Suns most recent loss (115-110 to the Boston Celtics), they continued to have the same issue. Perimeter defense fails, center has to step up to help, ball handler dumps the ball off, easy layup/dunk or free-throw opportunity.

SELF DESTRUCTING LATE

Over their last nine games, the Suns have fallen apart in the fourth quarter. They’re allowing a remarkable 48.9 percent from the field during that stretch, only better than the horrific New York Knicks (49.7 percent).

Phoenix is allowing an average of 28.4 points during that slide, a full two points worse than any team in basketball. They’ve been outscored by an average of 2.7 points in the fourth. The old adage that the fourth quarter is where games are won or lost applies here. The Suns are folding like lawn chairs. Watch the latest collapse, from when the Suns had just cut the Celtics deficit to 101-100:

The Suns had been a very good fourth quarter team earlier in the year. For some reference, the Suns allowed just 43.4 percent shooting in the fourth before this nine-game debacle. They were allowing just 25.5 points and were outscoring their opponents by 2.2.

Even if a team plays porous defense, they can make up for it by shooting well and not giving up easy baskets. It’s just not turning out that way for Phoenix right now.

4Q Last 9 Games	SUNS	OPPONENTS
FG Percentage	43.2	48.9
3P Percentage	29.9	40.8
FT Made	4.4	6.2

The Suns are getting whooped in every category. So, what’s the answer? How do the Suns break the spell the fourth quarter seems to have on them?

DON’T BLAME BLED

When a team is struggling, they need their superstar to step up in every way. It’s what James Harden, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and any number of stars do. When their team needs a lift, they kick it into a different gear.

For the year, Eric Bledsoe is averaging 17.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.7 steals. He’s shooting a respectable 45 percent from the field, 33.2 percent from three and 81.9 percent from the foul stripe.

During this nine game funk, Bledsoe has improved upon those averages, as he’s at 18.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.0 steals. His shooting line of .486/.458/.810 would be All-NBA worthy.

FRONT OFFICE FAUX PAS

The Suns are a league-worst 2-10 in games decided by three points or less. They’re just 11-18 against teams with winning records and they’re 0-4 in overtime. As well as Bledsoe has played, the team needs another closer to help out in those close ones.

But, they got rid of Thomas, who is currently 10th in the league in fourth quarter scoring, at 6.2 points per game (and shoots 88.6 percent from the foul stripe). I understand the idea behind the move — that Thomas doesn’t play defense well enough and they needed a combo guard who could produce on both ends — but so far it’s looking like a major misstep, especially since they could have kept both.

Feb 23, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight (3) dunks the ball against the Boston Celtics in the first quarter at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Acquiring Knight was supposed to help out there, as he’s a guy who shoots the ball well (40.4 percent from three) and has the length (6-foot-3) and athletic ability to pair with Bledsoe to form a devastating 1-2 punch on both ends.

Yeah…about that. Did we decide to overlook the fact that Knight’s shooting line of .368/.278/.960 in 70 minutes of play with the score within five points in the last three minutes may just be a big deal?

To be fair, when we get down to the real crunch time (last minute +/- 5 points), Knight shoots .542/.500/.944. It’s a small sample size, but I could see where at face value, the Suns front office could see that as him having the “clutch gene.”

Still, in January, Knight shot 29.4 percent in the fourth quarter in his 13 games. He’s at a modest 40 percent through seven games this month, but is a minus-3.6 points per fourth quarter. Did the Suns overvalue him or are they just looking to further refine the 23-year-old?

THE ANSWER, IS THAT THERE’S ALWAYS NEXT YEAR

I hate to say it, but I don’t see an answer on this team right now. After the Celtics loss, I asked coach Jeff Hornacek about how much of the struggle can be attributed to familiarity issues, with players like Archie Goodwin and T.J. Warren seeing minutes they’ve never seen.

His answer was straight to the point, as he told me it shouldn’t matter. He said that the players practice together all the time and that essentially, “basketball is basketball — if a player gets beat, you have to help defensively.”

If that’s the case, then Hornacek is essentially throwing his hands in the air, admitting what we already knew — this team is like a sports car that’s been keyed on both sides, has a flat tire and is missing a mirror. There’s a ton of potential, but without all of the key components, you’ll never see it perform.

The good news is that the Suns have financial flexibility and draft picks to spare. It’s going to be hard watching this team for the last 25 games of the season, knowing that they could have been playoff contenders, but the hope is they can reassess what they have this offseason and do their best to repair the damage.

Next: How Far Has Phoenix Fallen In Our latest NBA Power Rankings?

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