LOS ANGELES — “Frustrating.”
It was the word multiple Suns threw out Sunday afternoon to describe their loss to the Lakers. And it felt like their season.
“It’s frustrating. We show we can do the right thing sometimes, and then sometimes we don’t,” Booker said.
Inconsistency has been a hallmark of the Suns this season. Phoenix came into Sunday off one of its best performances, a Friday night win against Sacramento, with the chance to move within half a game of the Mavericks for the 10th seed and the final play-in spot in the West. The Suns were taking on a shorthanded Lakers team just home after a long East Coast road trip. Everything was lined up for the Suns.
And they came out flat. It was the tired Lakers who went on a 23-2 run in the first quarter to lead by as many as 20. While Phoenix got that lead down to single digits a few times in the fourth quarter, the game never felt in doubt (Los Angeles won 107-96, a game Luka Doncic controlled on his way to 33 points).
Phoenix was ice cold from the opening tip — it shot 6-of-21 overall (28.6%) in the first quarter, 1-of-10 from 3 — running an offense, like they have all season, that often uses Booker or Bradley Beal as the primary shot creator and has Durant more as the relief valve at the end of the shot clock. The Suns problem was the early offensive frustration bled over into every aspect of the game. It also bled over to Durant on the bench.
“I think we’re good when we’re making shots,” Booker said. “We still have to find a way to power through when the offense isn’t running and still hang our hat on the defense.”
Suns defensive woes
Phoenix hasn’t been able to hang its hat on its defense all season — they are 27th in the league in defensive rating, and over their last 10 games that defense has been 3.5 points per 100 possessions worse than that average.
“I think defensively is one of the things stands out,” Coach Mike Budenholzer said when discussing why the Suns have been frustrating all season. “We’re just not good enough defensively. We got to find a way to get better on that end of the court.”
While the defense is the most obvious source of problems, the Suns’ issues are bigger than just one side of the court. This is not a team that is one easy fix away.
“I think it’s more than one thing, I think it’s multiple things,” Booker said. “And just in-house, in spots, we show that we can do it. That’s what makes it even more frustrating. We have a game like [Friday’s win against Sacramento], and then we come in and miss a few shots, and that affects our defense, which affects our offense right after that, so it’s a domino effect.
“If you’re playing with energy and effort, you can sleep well at night regardless. And I don’t think we’re doing that right now.”
Changes coming in summer
To a man, the Suns say they are not giving up on this season.
Phoenix is 1.5 games back of an exceedingly shorthanded and struggling Dallas team for the final play-in spot, one the Suns should be able to get. While Phoenix would then have to win two road games to advance out of the No. 10 seed and into the playoffs — where the reward would be Oklahoma City in the first round — the Suns are not tanking. (That they don’t control their own draft pick is part of it, unlike a team like Philadelphia the Suns have no motivation to throw in the towel).
“There’s still 18 games left…” Budenholzer said, not realizing the actual number is 14 for Phoenix. “We need to get into the play-in, we need to get into the playoffs and try and do something there. There’s a lot of talent in our locker room. There’s a lot of fight in our locker room. So we got to get in, and then we got to play good basketball and win games, but we got to start winning to get there.”
Whatever happens with the chase for the No. 10 seed, the Suns are expected to see major roster changes this summer — the most expensive roster in league history missing the playoffs will do that.
Phoenix and Kevin Durant are expected to work together to find him a new home via trade. The Suns should get quality draft picks back in that trade and may attach one (or two) to Bradley Beal and his contract to see if he might be moved (Beal still has a no-trade clause but is at least open to discussing a move this summer). It’s just been one season, but Mike Budenholzer’s job is not safe.
Things will look different, just don’t expect a rebuild. The plan, according to owner Mat Ishbia, is to “reload” the roster around Booker and make him the star.
Suns fans hope that plan works better than what led to this frustrating season.
