Phoenix Suns: Critiquing Head Coach Jeff Hornacek

With the Phoenix Suns now out of the playoffs, we look at the job head coach Jeff Hornacek has done 

This whole “there’s always next year” is getting pretty old. The Phoenix Suns are officially eliminated from postseason play, extending their streak to five straight seasons without a playoff berth. There’s no use crying about conference imbalance or bad luck — nothing can change the fact that the Suns will be at home watching in late April. What was head coach Jeff Hornacek’s role in this and how has he been doing so far in Phoenix?

Raising Expectations

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Going purely based on record, coach Hornacek has been a success. Through April 8, Hornacek is 87-74 over the last two seasons, which ranks 15th in the NBA. Considering he took over a team that went 25-57 in 2012-13, we have to give coach some credit. Although 2014-15 has been a disappointment, it speaks to Hornacek’s coaching that the expectations were high enough to expect something better than a .500 season.

Hornacek has been terrific with the media, graciously answering questions — even after the soul-crushing buzzer-beaters that the Suns have faced. From a public relations standpoint, Hornacek deserves a solid “A.”

From an X’s and O’s standpoint, we see a different side. The Suns half-court offense isn’t a thing of beauty. There’s very little movement away from the ball and when Eric Bledsoe isn’t handling the ball in the pick-and-roll, there’s just not a lot to get excited about.

The Suns are 10th in the NBA in points per game (102.9) and 14th in offensive rating (105.5). They’ve been able to accomplish this without a true offensive star and without a real post threat. Even the 3-point attack has waned, as the Suns are just 19th in the league in percentage (34.1).

The Desired Result

With any new coach — regardless of if they’re new to the position or just the team — results are measured by improvement. If a coach has been fired, it’s usually because the team stunk and the axe had to fall somewhere. This was the case when Alvin Gentry was fired during the 2012-13 season (13-28 record) and was the case when interim coach Lindsey Hunter didn’t secure the full-time job (12-29).

After that horrific season, Hornacek really had nowhere to go but up — and that’s exactly what happened. The Suns enjoyed one of the biggest turnarounds in the NBA, going from 25 wins to 48 in one season. Expecting another one of those jumps would have been silly, but the Suns entered 2014-15 with real expectations for the first time since Amar’e Stoudemire was still on the team.

What happened from Hornacek’s first season to this one? It’s actually pretty simple — the team can’t make shots. Take a look for yourself:

As far as attempts are concerned, the Suns have taken 2.4 more field goals per game in 2014-15, exactly the same amount of 3-pointers per game and 2.7 fewer free throws.

The team is fouling slightly less (down .5 per game) and are drawing fewer fouls (.9 fewer). Yet, the Suns have gone from scoring 105.2 points per game (outscoring opponents by 2.6) to scoring 102.9 (getting outscored by .4).

Part of this is because of Goran Dragic. He’s always been an efficient player and going from a high usage, high on-ball percentage to playing off the ball was tough on the team. With him out the door, it just made matching those 2013-14 numbers even more difficult.

I think we have to consider all the moving parts when we try to accurately assess Hornacek and the job he’s done. Half of the roster has turned over and due to injuries, Hornacek has been forced to use guys like Archie Goodwin, Markieff Morris and Brandan Wright out of position.

Relationship With Players

Whether the lack of improvement — really more of a regression — lands on the coach or the players is the issue. We can’t blame Hornacek for personnel decisions or injuries, but what he’s done with the players he has there is all his responsibility.

Hornacek has been harping on a lack of ball movement all season long, yet his players continue to stand around. Is it an issue of respect? Are the proverbial inmates running the asylum? Watching Hornacek on the sideline tells us all we need to know — he’s just as frustrated as we are. The plays aren’t being run as he wants them. He can’t seem to rely on his players to make the right plays. Gerald Green and Marcus Morris have both openly chewed out Hornacek — would that ever happen to a veteran coach? Not without consequence, I can guarantee that.

To be fair, Hornacek has had to deal with a lot of fluidity in the roster makeup. Isaiah Thomas had an injury that kept him out eight games early in the season. Dragic badly struggled to adapt to playing off the ball. It took a few solid months for Bledsoe, Dragic and Thomas to jell.  It wasn’t until December/January that the Suns finally started to click, going 14-4 during that stretch. Add to that the poor chemistry behind the scenes that we were all in the dark about and you can see that the happy times were a mirage.

In a flash, Dragic and Thomas were sent away and Brandon Knight came in. Before he could get comfortable, he suffered a nasty ankle injury that has severely limited him, ultimately ending his season. Hornacek has been forced to play makeshift lineups and hasn’t had the luxury of a healthy squad. With the numerous injuries to Alex Len, Hornacek has trotted out lineups with Brandan Wright as the only real big.

The communication issues between the coaches and players is an issue, but all things considered, I don’t see many other coaches faring better than Hornacek has with the cards he’s been dealt.

The “What If Pop” Scenario

I like to play a game called “What If Pop” in a spot like this. We can all agree that San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is legendary coach that demands (and receives) the utmost respect from his players. So, lets take Hornacek off the Suns and put Popovich in his place. How would things change?

Here’s where it gets dicey, because even though I can get close to the team — this is all opinion, all hearsay. I can’t give you an accurate depiction of the basketball IQ of these players. I can’t tell you if Popovich would suddenly turn these players into heady, focused, smart players. Take a look at the Spurs who have succeeded once they hit San Antonio (Boris Diaw, Marco Belinelli) and you’ll realize one thing — those players were pretty savvy and always considered to be pretty smart in basketball terms even before they got there. Pop simply put them in a better system and took advantage of their talents.

Could Popovich do a better job of that with Phoenix or is the real problem the personnel? Is it simply that the Suns have been forced to play guys in pressure situations who just aren’t ready? Take a look at the minutes played over the last 15 games for the Suns:

• Eric Bledsoe, 525
• P.J. Tucker, 516
• Markieff Morris, 514
• Marcus Morris, 496
• Brandan Wright, 402
• T.J. Warren, 274
• Archie Goodwin, 250
• Alex Len, 220
• Gerald Green, 161

Bledsoe, Tucker and Markieff are fine — they are starters and belong at the top of this list. The smoking gun here is that Marcus and Brandan are really solid depth guys who should be coming off the bench. Warren and Goodwin are guys who should be deep on the bench and Len should be in the starting lineup. Instead, you’ve got reserves starting and guys who aren’t ready playing big bench minutes.

Popovich wouldn’t be able to do any more with this than Hornacek. It’s akin to Pop losing Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard, with Matt Bonner and Patty Mills moving into the starting lineup. To use an old adage, the Suns coaching staff is being asked to make chicken soup out of chicken shit. Hornacek should be applauded for keeping the team close despite all of the adversity they’ve faced this season.

Onto Next Season

The good news is that the core of the team is under contract and the Suns front office will be able to fill some glaring holes with the cap space they have. Guys like Goodwin and Warren did get quality experience this year and will be more ready in 2015-16. Len will be healthy, Bledsoe won’t have to burn the candle at both ends and Hornacek will have another offseason to build relationships with his players.

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