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Phoenix Suns: 5 Problem Areas That Must Be Addressed

By Gerald Bourguet

Dec 21, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Phoenix Suns center Alex Len (21), center Tyson Chandler (4), forward P.J. Tucker (17) and forward Markieff Morris (11) sit the bench at final seconds of their game losing 110-89 to the Utah Jazz at vivint.SmartHome Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Phoenix Suns center Alex Len (21), center Tyson Chandler (4), forward P.J. Tucker (17) and forward Markieff Morris (11) sit the bench at final seconds of their game losing 110-89 to the Utah Jazz at vivint.SmartHome Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Phoenix Suns
Dec 20, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight (3) during the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Consistency

There is no one statistic to qualify a team’s consistency, but suffice it to say that the Phoenix Suns are one of the league’s most maddeningly inconsistent ones. At their best, the Suns have looked like a playoff team capable of controlling the boards, spreading defenses with stretch-4s and ripping them to shreds with the scoring attack of Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight.

At their worst, however, the Suns are a team that can be bullied and exploited by anybody. Just take a look at some of the ugly losses the Suns have racked up this season:

  • Six-point loss to the New Orleans Pelicans
  • Six-point loss to the New Orleans Pelicans
  • Three-point loss to the Brooklyn Nets
  • Three-point loss to the struggling Washington Wizards
  • 10-point home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers
  • Six-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks without Giannis Antetokounmpo
  • 21-point loss to the Utah Jazz without Rudy Gobert

The Suns have a 4-11 record against teams at or above .500, but their 8-7 mark against teams below .500 doesn’t inspire much faith in their consistency either.

“If we were just getting outplayed and teams were just beating us, it would be one thing,” P.J. Tucker said after the Bucks loss. “But I think 85 percent of it is us beating ourselves, not doing the little things we need to win throughout this league.”

Part of it has to do with Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe seemingly trading off good games. Before Knight’s recent slump, he and Bledsoe were the only set of teammates in the league averaging at least 20 points and five assists per game (they’re still the only duo averaging 19.0 PPG and 5.0 APG). The only problem is they never seem to have it going on the same night.

So far this season, they’ve reached 20 points and five assists in the same game only times this season. The Suns are 4-1 in those games and 8-17 in the rest. In games where both Bledsoe and Knight score at least 20 points, the Suns have a win percentage of .700…but that’s only happened 10 times.

There’s also the Suns’ annoying tendency to alternate good games between the bench and the starters. Aside from the obvious example in Utah where Hornacek switched up the rotation, Phoenix’s most recent home game against the Bucks stands out. The starters were outscored 78-52, while the bench outscored Milwaukee’s reserves 43-23.

“They had the energy tonight, the bench guys,” Hornacek said after the game. “We’ve got to get everybody playing at the same time and it’s the only way you’re gonna get out of it is to keep battling and play every play like it’s the last play.”

Next: No. 3

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