Hoops Habit
Fansided

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 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
Phoenix Suns
Dec 14, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) makes a steal and passes the ball as Dallas Mavericks center Zaza Pachulia (27) looks on during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Turnovers

So maybe “setting a rotation” and “consistency” are a little vague. How about a more concrete stat like turnovers? Bledsoe has always been known as a turnover-prone point guard, but throwing Knight into the mix hasn’t helped at all.

The Suns are averaging 17.0 turnovers per game, ranking them 28th in the NBA when it comes to taking care of the ball — ahead of only the turnover-happy Houston Rockets and lowly Philadelphia 76ers. But unlike the Rockets, Phoenix’s turnovers aren’t in pursuit of making the right pass, as their 1.21 assist/turnover ratio — 29th in the league, ahead of only the Sixers — demonstrates.

Against the Bucks, the Suns had a chance to tie the game, down two points with 20 seconds left and the ball. Bledsoe made a good decision to not settle for a jumper, but he drove too far into the teeth of the defense and Michael Carter-Williams stripped him as he left his feed. The Suns had to foul and wound up losing the game.

“I just turned the ball over,” Bledsoe said. “It is what it is. I’ve got to take better care of the ball, especially down the stretch.”

Before the game, Hornacek had talked about avoiding bad spots on the floor and making quick decisions. His words proved to be prophetic for the game AND Phoenix’s season as a whole.

“You just can’t get yourself in bad spots,” he said. “If you dribble down the sideline and take it too deep and don’t get rid of the ball quickly, they’re gonna swarm you and use that length and it’s gonna be hard to get it out of there….If you’re slow in decisions, it’s gonna be a long night.”

Turnovers are bad enough as it is, but the Suns’ turnovers are a rare breed that lead to easy baskets more frequently than any team in the league except the Sixers. Opponents are averaging 18.1 points off of turnovers per game against Phoenix, ranking them 25th in the NBA in that category.

“I don’t know what the lead was in the fourth quarter but it started in the third,” Hornacek said after his team committed 21 turnovers in the Bucks game. “You had a chance to blow it away, but the importance of the ball — we had 21 turnovers again. We just throw the ball all over the place. We’ve got to get stronger, more aggressive with the ball.”

Next: No. 2

Home/Phoenix Suns