Without a doubt, the Phoenix Suns have been the biggest disappointment this season. At 14-14 through the first 28 games, Phoenix has been painfully mediocre despite the play of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. And now, it seems there are some disagreements internally about the Suns’ offensive game plan of late.
“Early on in the season, it was better,” said Gordon. “And lately, there just hasn’t been an emphasis [to get me more looks]. So, it’s definitely different. Lately, I haven’t been getting hardly any touches really.”
These comments are coming after Gordon’s statement on Wednesday when he called on the team to play with more cohesion after a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. In the defeat against the Kings on Friday, Gordon finished with zero points on the night with just two shot attempts in 24 minutes. Meanwhile, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant combined for 34 shots in the game and were the only players on the team to finish with more than 11 points.
Problems In The Desert
Suns owner Matt Ishbia pulled all the stops to assemble a superteam in Phoenix, trading away prized role-players like Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson to land 34-year-old Kevin Durant. This past summer, they decided to add Bradley Beal to the lineup and gave up Chris Paul and Landry Shamet to get it done.
These moves were understandable at the time, but it has drained the Suns of all their depth and they’ve had to rely on guys like Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, and Nassir Little to fill the void. The absence of Bradley Beal has also been a major hit to Phoenix this season. The Suns gave up a lot for Beal and handicapped their flexibility for years by agreeing to take on his ridiculous contract. Unfortunately, Beal has only played in six games this season after dealing with various injuries. The result of all of this has been a top-heavy Suns team that has struggled to keep up with the Western Conference and now that the losing has gotten ugly, the vibes in the locker room have taken a turn for the worst.
What’s Next For Phoenix?
Since the season is still young, no panic moves are imminent for the Suns right now. But it hasn’t taken long for folks to start calling for people’s jobs, and head coach Frank Vogel has not escaped criticism. Vogel, who led the Lakers to a title in 2020, was brought in for his defensive expertise but the Suns rank just 18th on that end after 28 games. If the Suns don’t show some more resistance in that area, it could cost Vogel his job.
Beyond Vogel, though, the Suns have bigger problems. With a limited support cast and a third star who cannot stay healthy, the odds are stacked against the Suns right now given all they’ve had to endure in the first few weeks. Still, there is hope internally that they can make a run at full strength if Kevin Durant and Devin Booker get hot at the right time. For now, all they can do is keep riding this wave and try to keep their head above the water until Beal is able to return and make his presence felt on the perimeter.
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