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Phoenix Suns: A Year Later And Not Much Has Changed

By Michael Dunlap

Mar 7, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 89-79. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 89-79. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Back on March 9, 2014, the Phoenix Suns were facing off against the Golden State Warriors in a game that was sorely needed for playoff positioning. Flash forward to March 9, 2015, where the Suns met the Warriors again, with the same kind of urgency looming over their heads.

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Six players on the 2014 team (including three starters) were different last night, but the results were same. The Suns were outscored by 21 in the third quarter in 2014 en route to an easy Warriors win, and the Suns were outscored by 15 in the third quarter last night as the Warriors coasted to their 50th win.

After the 2014 loss to the Warriors, the Suns were at 36-26, tied for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference with the Memphis Grizzlies. After the 2015 version, the Suns are just 3.5 games off pace, at 33-32, in the No. 10 spot in the West.

The 2014 version struggled with injuries, as they were without Eric Bledsoe for a stretch and had to rely on Ish Smith to play backup point guard minutes. The 2015 version saw Brandon Knight roll his ankle last night, opening up serious minutes for Archie Goodwin at point guard.

Although the nameplates on the lockers look significantly different, the Suns are still facing many of the same problems and the questions that surfaced last season have yet to be answered. Let’s go at them individually.

Who is the go-to scorer on this team?

This has been even more apparent lately, as the Suns rely so heavily on their transition and 3-point offense — both of which tends to slow late in games. Once the Suns get into a possession-based game when they need buckets, they get stuck in the mud.

Feb 28, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) dribbles against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 28, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) dribbles against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

For a while, it was Markieff Morris who was shouldering the fourth-quarter load. For the season, he’s shooting 48.8 percent with 3.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in the fourth quarter. In the Suns last 10 games, Markieff has appeared in six of the fourth quarters, scoring just 2.8 points with 1.0 rebounds and a ghastly 33.3 percent field goal percentage.

Bledsoe and Knight both have their strengths and are assets over the course of a game, but neither have been able to carry the team to victories on their own and to this date, they haven’t figured out how to play off of each other.

Coach Jeff Hornacek mentioned that he didn’t want his team watching film of other teams in order to “teach” them, but watching Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry last night would be a good start.

If Knight/Bledsoe can do a better job of playing off of each other instead of one watching while the other does their thing, the team would fare much better.

What’s wrong with the defense?

This is a tricky question. On the surface, you’d think that the Suns are losing games because their defense is playing poorly. Would it surprise you to learn that the Suns are actually 9th best in the league in field goal defense over their last 10 games (allowing 43 percent)?

Watch this video and you’ll get an idea of what’s been happening. The Suns do a poor job stopping penetration, but they pack the paint well. Unfortunately, they lose the best shooter on the planet in the process and allow an open attempt that might as well be a layup:

Both of the last two losses (at Cleveland, vs. Golden State) have been ugly, but the Suns have held their own from inside the arc (41.3 percent by Cavs, 42.2 by Warriors). In fact, the Suns have allowed just one opponent to shoot over 50 percent in their last 11 games and just two in their last 20.

So what is it?

For starters, the video above is a bit of proof how the Suns are getting hurt at the 3-point line. Over their last 10, they’re allowing an average of 9.1 makes per game and opponents are shooting 38.4 percent, good for 28th in the NBA. Open looks are going to equal makes — there’s no way around it.

On the flip side, the Suns are making just 7.2 and are shooting 30.4 percent from beyond the arc during that time. Giving up six points in a spot that used to be a strength is the difference (Phoenix is being outscored by an average of five points per game in this stretch).

What does this imply? The Suns aren’t good enough as individual defenders to play man-to-man successfully. They aren’t strong enough fundamentally to employ the kind of quick switching, swarming defense that would work.

Suns defense from the last 10 games. Photo Credit: NBA.com
Suns defense from the last 10 games. Photo Credit: NBA.com /

Instead, they’re sagging considerably, packing the paint. This is why teams are shooting a league worst 29.4 percent against the Suns from 10-to-14 feet (last 10).

See how well teams are shooting at the top of the key? That 52.4 percent is killer, but it makes sense. That’s the furthest point from the paint and also where a lot of pick and rolls originate…crisp, quick rotations and pick and roll defense are two of the Suns big deficiencies.

The trickle-down effect is leaving the 3-point line more open, which causes an inability to get into passing lanes to create turnovers, taking away those easy fast break points.

For the season, the Suns score 26.2 percent of their points from the 3-point line and 18 percent in fast breaks. Over the last 10? 21.9 percent from three and 16.2 percent in fast breaks. If there was an easy answer, coach Hornacek would have figured it out by now.

Suns management thought that personnel was the problem, so they brought in new faces. Turns out, either they brought in guys with the same weaknesses (possibly) or the problem lies more with scheme and the inability of the coaching staff to get the players in position to succeed. Regardless of where the blame lies, the Suns are in dire straits and look to be making their fifth straight trip to the lottery.

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