Few people might remember that now, but Phoenix started last season red hot by winning eight of their first nine games. Unfortunately for them, that was also their best moment of the whole season which shows what a disaster last year ended up being for them.
The Suns were unable to be a top 10 team on offense, but it was on defense where they really collapsed by being one of the worst units in the league (#27). When their best players Booker and Durant shared the floor (1536 minutes), the Suns could not even break even with a -0.10 net rating (119.24 Off Rating vs 119.34 Def Rating). That’s an awful sign for the success of a team when their best players can’t produce a decent net rating.
Phoenix collapsed down the stretch by losing nine of their last ten games and they were completely out of the postseason. The chemistry between their players wasn’t great and so, it wasn’t a surprise when the Suns decided to part ways with Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. They also saw both Tyus Jones and Mason Plumlee leave the team in free agency and naturally, coach Budenholzer was fired after such a disastrous stint in Phoenix.
From their trade involving Durant, the Suns received Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks from Houston. While Brooks will be a good instant addition, the team’s hopes for improvement will be deposited on Green’s development. However, his style is very similar to Booker’s, as both players are pure shooting guards and hence their coexistence won’t be easy. The same thing happened with Booker and Beal, a bad sign as Green isn’t better than Beal. The difference is that Green is only 23 years old and so, at least he has some trade value.
The Center position has been underwhelming for the Suns in recent years and so, they tried to improve it during this offseason. They traded for Mark Williams coming from Charlotte and they also spent their first round draft pick on a big man: Khaman Maluach.
Even with these additions, I doubt Phoenix will be able to transform itself into a decent defensive team. Their new head coach Jordan Ott was an assistant under Kenny Atkinson and he was more focused on the offensive end. Atkinson revolutionized Cleveland’s offense last season while having the same roster as in the previous season, so Phoenix could end up being a sneaky good offensive team if Green and Booker can work well together. However, on defense, things won’t be pretty again.