In the last seven weeks of the 2024-25 NBA season, the Phoenix Suns have been one of the worst teams in the league.
Since November 13, the Suns have won only 6 out of 21 games, giving them a .286 win percentage, which ranks 25th. During this time, the Suns have been 12th in offense and 26th in defense, according to Cleaning the Glass, which tracks stats that remove garbage time.
Their early 9-2 start, where they had decent offense and average defense but excelled in close games, has now balanced out to their true level.
On the season, the Suns are ranked 9th in offense and 24th in defense. Cleaning the Glass’ win projections, which consider a team’s efficiency and typical win-loss record, have the Suns on pace for 36.4 wins, putting them 12th in the Western Conference.
For those still hopeful this season, Phoenix has dealt with numerous injuries. They are 13-4 when both Devin Booker and Kevin Durant play and are just 3.5 games behind the sixth seed, which guarantees a playoff spot.
However, the team’s recent stretch of games, which has had relatively weak competition and some luck with opponent injuries, shows no sign that they can come together in time to be a serious contender. After all, this is a team that is supposed to have a chance at winning a championship.
The Suns are 3-9 in their last 12 games, starting with a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, who have only won two of their last 28 games after beginning the season 3-3.
There is still time to improve. The final 12 games of this stretch include three games against teams with winning records and five against teams that haven’t won 10 games yet.
But it’s tough to stay positive when you see how Phoenix is losing.
What’s gone wrong with the Phoenix Suns’ defense lately?
The Golden State Warriors, who are 24th in rim attacks, were able to score easily on Phoenix with basic shots. You wouldn’t think it based on how the game looked, but the Suns actually defended well that night. The problem was that the Warriors’ great ball movement kept creating easy scoring chances.
There were so many easy shots that I had to break the clips into three different parts.
In the same game, the Suns only attempted 11 shots at the rim. They are taking just 23.4% of their shots at the rim, which is the lowest in the NBA and nearly five percent lower than the previous year’s worst team (which was last year’s Warriors!). This rate is on track to be the lowest in Cleaning the Glass’ history, since the 2007-08 Portland Trail Blazers.
How can the Suns improve?
“I think the randomness, getting different combinations in the pick-and-roll, I think maybe some more cutting and slashing away from the ball, taking advantage of I think two to the ball and then a hard guy rotating if and when we get it to the guy in the pocket,” said Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer after practice on Thursday.
To support Budenholzer’s point, you can watch some of the Warriors’ baskets again after reading his quote, or also look at similar plays the Memphis Grizzlies made inside.
Clearly, if this season keeps going the way it has been, even if it gets slightly better, we owe Frank Vogel a big apology. A “I forgot our anniversary” type of apology.
Looking past the issues with how the team is playing, organizing, and how the general atmosphere has seemed to be his responsibility, the only thing that has improved is the team’s mood (though that could still turn negative). What he was able to do defensively last year with a much worse team should be appreciated now.
It’s not like firing him was a mistake. It had to happen. But on nights when he’s feeling a little petty, instead of upset about his former players going through another rough patch, he’s probably getting a laugh out of this.
The drop in defense is naturally making things harder for the offense. Facing solid defenses more often will always cause problems.
With recent injuries to important reserves who help with floor spacing and the Suns’ need for more defensive energy and better players, the team has been using more of Ryan Dunn and Josh Okogie. This has to happen and is the right decision. However, it does have a negative effect on the offense.
The Suns’ spacing has gotten much worse, and with less movement from the team, it has looked messy at times. Turnovers are starting to pile up.
These examples are not meant to excuse Durant’s mistakes but to show how his turnover issues can get worse because of this situation.
Look at how the Warriors’ defense helps on these plays. You can easily tell by how many feet are in the key. Long-time readers will remember that from 2021 to 2023, Suns’ opponents would have struggled if they even had one foot in the paint because of how well the Suns used spacing.
In these two games without Jusuf Nurkic (due to suspension), Phoenix is playing with two centers, him and Mason Plumlee, who both struggle to finish at the rim. This has always been a problem for Nurkic, but Plumlee used to be one of the most agile and athletic big men in the NBA until age caught up with him.
Plumlee is actually shooting a good 75% near the basket, which is much higher than Nurkic’s 65%, according to Cleaning the Glass. However, this good percentage comes after he’s passed up many chances to take shots.
Dunn, who was a good short roll player at Virginia, should be used more in that role by the Suns. He made a great pass here, but Plumlee should have finished it by dunking in the spot near the basket.
Here’s another example, where Tyus Jones ends up with a turnover because of Plumlee’s miss.
Watching other average or below-average centers play against Phoenix shows how much better it would be for the Suns if they had a player of that skill level. It also highlights how big a weakness this has become for the Suns.
Golden State’s Trayce Jackson-Davis scored 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out two assists, made a steal, and blocked four shots in just 23 minutes, dominating the paint despite being only 6-foot-9.
Memphis’ Jay Huff gives the Grizzlies a stretch 5 option and was in the right spots defensively, working hard with his teammates.
All of this is putting a lot of pressure on the offense because the usual frustrating turnovers are still happening in the new season.
These are just some of the problems the Suns are facing as a team that struggles with injuries and other issues. The next 12 games in January will show if there’s any progress, and whether a deep playoff run is still possible, or if things keep getting worse and it might be time for a change in the Suns’ approach.
Coincidentally, this stretch of games ends 12 days before the trade deadline.
