The Phoenix Suns have been constantly inconsistent during the regular season, but the team hopes to have worked out the championship formula when the 2024 NBA playoffs begin.
The Suns (49-33), who had struggled to piece together wins at times this season, won the sixth seed in the Western Conference with three consecutive victories and support from other teams to escape the play-in game. Phoenix’s postseason begins Saturday on the road against the strong Minnesota Timberwolves, whom the Suns defeated 125-106 at the Target Center last Sunday to finish the regular season.
Despite a favorable game against Anthony Edwards and company, the Suns’ stock has fallen far below preseason projections, which expected the brilliant three of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal would compete with the Denver Nuggets for the West crown.
The Suns got off to a hot start this season, going on a seven-game winning run in November despite Beal’s absence due to injury. One significant win during that time came against the New York Knicks, who saw All-Star Jalen Brunson score 35 points against the Suns. Despite Brunson’s outstanding performance, the Suns won 116-113 at Madison Square Garden, setting the tone for the remainder of the season.
However, inconsistency became apparent in the Suns’ following 12 games, as they went 3–9. Some of those losses came against other Western Conference teams the Suns would face later in the playoffs, such as the Nuggets and the Dallas Mavericks. This stretch marked the beginning of an up-and-down campaign.
A major issue with Phoenix has been a lack of bench productivity. With such top-tier talent in the starting lineup, depth was always expected to be an issue. This season, the Suns’ sixth man off the bench has been guard Eric Gordon, who averages 11 points per game. Royce O’Neale, acquired at the trade deadline, is the Suns’ second leading scorer off the bench, averaging 8.1 points and 2.7 assists per game, the most off the bench. While they are not horrible statistics, they demonstrate how constrained coach Frank Vogel is when he relies on his bench for performance.
The squad has also faced with injuries throughout the season, causing the Suns to fall behind in terms of chemistry development. When key starters like Beal and Booker were injured, the team’s lack of depth became apparent.
The Suns replied by signing veteran guard Isaiah Thomas to a deal for the remainder of the season. Thomas, who is in his 11th season, expects to provide veteran leadership to the club during the postseason while also being available to play whenever his name is called.
“My job is just to show the guys the work each and every day whether you play or not,” he remarked. “When your opportunity is called you just take advantage of it.”
Vogel was visibly angry following a bad performance on April 9, which allowed the Los Angeles Clippers to grab a 31-point lead late in the first quarter. The Clippers played without veterans Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. The Suns were able to make the game more competitive later on, but the damage had already been done when they lost 105-92.
“Teams want to get into us and reroute us and foul us, that’s playoff basketball,” Vogel went on to say. “Offensively we’ve got to be tougher.”
The Suns rebounded from that loss the next night with a 124-108 victory over the Clippers, led by Booker’s 37 points. The team has become accustomed to winning one day and then losing the next.
The Suns have won against some very excellent teams, but they have also lost to teams they should have beaten. Phoenix has lost three of its four meetings with the 22-60 San Antonio Spurs this season. In all three losses, the Suns had double-digit turnovers, which was not unusual for them. They are 25th in turnovers this season, averaging 14.9 per game.
On the plus side, the Suns have defeated the Timberwolves in all three meetings this season. The Suns have won all of their games versus Minnesota by double digits, thanks in part to their ability to restrict Edwards. In two of the three games against the Timberwolves, the Suns limited Edwards to 13 points. Edwards averaged 25.9 points per game this season, but his output was limited against the Suns.
Even though Phoenix is unbeaten against Minnesota this season, that does not guarantee an easy playoff series. The Timberwolves ended with the best defensive rating this season, 108.4, which was more than two points higher than the second-best rating. Rudy Gobert, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year, anchors the defense. The Suns will have their job cut out for them in round one, paired with burgeoning superstar Edwards and fellow top big man Karl-Anthony Towns, and Booker recognizes the task of slowing down Edwards.
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“Ant’s not up and coming anymore, he’s somebody that’s here,” Booker remarked, referring to Edwards’ performance this season. “He’s a tough matchup, so it’s gonna take a collective whole to slow him down.”
Another factor working against the Suns is history. The 1995 Houston Rockets are the only sixth-seeded team to win an NBA championship, while Cinderella runs have become more common in recent years. The eighth-seeded Miami Heat made it to the Finals last season after going through the play-in tournament, illustrating that no club should be underestimated in the playoffs.
Phoenix has star power on its roster, and despite the fact that the club has battled to find a rhythm, players and coaches remain confident that the Suns can compete for the franchise’s first NBA title. Beal, who has begun to find his place on the team, believes the unit is prepared for a great postseason run.
“It’s time to start playing defense, it’s time to execute,” said Beal, who scored 20 points to help secure a tight victory over the Sacramento Kings last Friday. “We want to win a ring, it’s time.”