The Most Dangerous Opponent Phoenix Faces Is Itself

When you find yourself struggling to win basketball games, every mistake is amplified and every possession is overanalyzed. Through four games to start the season, that’s certainly been the case for the Phoenix Suns, who sit at 1–3 and have struggled to play clean basketball.

While the offense has begun showing signs of life, along with some much-needed functionality and responsibility, and the team currently possesses the 10th-best offensive rating in the league, there’s still plenty that needs to be cleaned up. And defensively? The team is an absolute mess. Rotations are being missed, assignments are being blown, and quite frankly, it looks like a group of players who don’t fully trust one another yet.

Why do we consistently see weak-side defenders crashing into the paint whenever an opposing player drives to the basket? Because there’s a lack of trust that the primary defender can handle his assignment, leading teammates to abandon their own responsibilities to provide help. And what happens as a result? Wide-open shooters are left waiting on the perimeter. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why the Suns are currently allowing (easily) the highest opposing three-point percentage in the league.

The most frustrating aspect of watching this team thus far has been the numerous mental lapses and situational mistakes that you can attribute to poor judgment. But when you start seeing them over and over again, it raises a bigger question about whether this team possesses a high basketball IQ. We witnessed it numerous times from numerous players against Denver, and it’s been a recurring theme throughout the early portion of the season.

Examples? But of course. I’d show the actual plays, but the NBA has decided to negate the ability to share play-by-play videos. Because screw the fans, right? As long as they get their Emerites money, they’re satisfied. 

The Suns are down nine points late in the third quarter and Devin Booker misses a wide-open layup. That should’ve been the easiest birthday gift he received yesterday, and somehow, he missed it. How does the team respond? By committing a senseless foul in transition. And of course, Denver is already in the bonus, so the Nuggets head directly to the free-throw line.

Then there’s the Jalen Green possession. After the Suns fight their way back to within five points, Green decides it’s time to put on his superhero cape and drive into the lane rather than surveying the floor and setting up a quality offensive possession. What happens? Marvin Bagley rejects him, Denver takes possession, and the Nuggets promptly knock down a three-pointer on the other end. That’s a five-point swing at a moment when Phoenix had finally generated some momentum.

Dillon Brooks was your primary offensive weapon in the first half, scoring 20 points before getting tossed from the game for a Flagrant 2 after kicking Jamal Murray in the nuts. Now, I don’t agree with the call. I think it was reputation-based (and Tyler Ford hates the Suns…which is factual), and as somebody who’s watched Brooks play for over a season now, I know he routinely kicks his legs out on those turnaround jumpers. I genuinely don’t believe there was any malicious intent.

But part of being a high basketball IQ player is recognizing when you can’t afford to push the envelope, especially when you’ve been as valuable to your team’s offense as Brooks was in that game. You have to understand the situation and the potential consequences of putting yourself in that position. Stupid call? Yes. Stupid to put yourself in that situation? Also yes.

The same goes for the silly delay of game after knocking the ball away from Nikola Jokic following a Devin Booker running layup with the Suns down 7 in the third.  You know Tyler Ford is an official who has a tendency to officiate the Suns ridiculously. There is no team in the NBA that he has assessed more personal fouls against per game in his officiating career than the Phoenix Suns. The team he calls the least amount of fouls against? Yeah. The Nuggets. Why give him another opportunity to blow the whistle? It’s an entirely unnecessary play that once again handed Denver another free throw.

These are the kinds of mistakes that make winning basketball games considerably more difficult than it needs to be. And we’re not cherry-picking a couple of isolated possessions to manufacture a narrative. We’ve seen these mental lapses repeatedly throughout the first four games of the season, which is precisely why they’re becoming a concern. Side note: stop fouling three-point shooters! Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

Every team makes mistakes. Every player has moments when their judgment fails them. That’s basketball. But when those mistakes become recurring behaviors rather than occasional lapses, you have to start asking some uncomfortable questions about this team’s decision-making and overall basketball IQ. That’s when the red flags start going up.

The Suns have put themselves in a situation where there’s plenty to clean up. This is a team that relies on hustle as its North Star, but that hustle has to be accompanied by responsibility and intelligent decision-making. They’re not going to overpower opponents physically, and they’re certainly not going to overwhelm anybody with their efficiency. That means they can’t afford to give away free points through careless mistakes and unnecessary fouls.

Playing smart basketball has to become a fundamental part of this team’s identity if the Suns ultimately want to start winning basketball games.