5. Protect home-court better
The Phoenix Suns have the worst home record in the NBA at 5-14. They may only have the second-worst point differential at home (-7.1), but protecting home-court needs to become an area for improvement at some point.
It’s only natural for the Suns to be less than intimidating at home. They’re not a good basketball team, and though they rank near the middle of the pack in home attendance, Phoenix is a warmer city with a ton of transplants.
That means when big-market teams like the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls or Los Angeles Lakers come to town, the arena can feel as though it’s divided 50-50 between Suns supporters and fans of the opposing team. Until the Suns are a playoff team again, Arizona fans aren’t going to turn out in record numbers and get loud like the days of Steve Nash.
However, at some point Devin Booker and company will need to start making Talking Stick Resort Arena a tough place to play. Book thrives on the hostility of opposing crowds, which is why his career numbers are better on the road than at home. Down the line, however, the prospect of him playing in a packed arena for a Suns team that’s formidable at home is an enticing one. Learning how to protect home-court has to start now, even on a bad team.