The Phoenix Suns keep running into the same wall, and it’s the one word hanging over their 1-3 start: consistency.
That has been the story of their season so far, even after Halloween has passed. Phoenix has had moments that look right, but not nearly enough of them in the same game. The Suns have shown flashes in stretches, then drifted away from them before they can build anything lasting.
“We've been preaching we need to put a full game together. We've played well in spots. I think if we can put together four quarters or even three, it'll put us in a better situation,” Devin Booker said after Friday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Coach Jordan Ott echoed that point after the game, pointing to the uneven effort and execution.
“At periods, that was us. That was our energy, that was our intensity and there's a piece of the execution that we need.”
That’s been the issue through the first four games: Phoenix has looked like a different team from one stretch to the next. The Suns have been outplayed on both ends for much of the opening run, and even their lone win - against a heavily depleted Golden State team - came with plenty of difficulty.
The offense hasn’t found a rhythm. The Booker-Jalen Green backcourt is still searching for traction, and the shooting around Booker hasn’t matched what Phoenix got last season. There have been suggestions that a change could be coming, but Ott doesn’t appear ready to make one yet.
On the other end, the Suns have been disorganized and have struggled on the glass. The absence of Oso Ighodaro for a stretch has mattered, and Mark Williams is set to remain out for months, leaving the team with uncertainty inside. Khaman Maluach has also been up and down early on.
Collin Gillespie said the team’s mindset was there against Denver, even if the performance never fully came together.
“I thought our mentality was right for the most part of the game,” Gillespie said after the loss to Denver. “We talked about certain parts of the game we're in right place, our mind is in the right place and we're trying to do the right thing. Just got to put it together for a full 48 minutes.”
Until that happens, the Suns will keep hearing the same word follow them around.
In Other News...
Suns Face A Tough Rasheer Fleming Debate They Cant Ignore
Rasheer Flemings role in Phoenix has been easy to overlook so far, which is part of what makes the conversation around him worth having. He has appeared in only two games for the Suns and is not currently part of the main rotation under head coach Jordan Ott, a reality shaped by a team trying to keep its defensive structure intact while also giving minutes to other pieces, including Miles Bridges.
Still, Flemings situation is not just about present-day rotation math. The Suns are clearly weighing whether he can grow into the kind of two-way forward who fits next to Devin Booker, and that development path may end up deciding how much patience the organization is willing to show. For now, his opportunity remains limited, but the longer-term question is whether he can force his way into a more meaningful place in the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Loss Put Two Frustrating Lineup Debates Front And Center
A tense night against Denver ended with more than just a loss hanging over the Suns, as Dillon Brooks was tossed after being assessed a flagrant 2 for kicking Jamal Murray in the groin area. Jordan Ott and several teammates pushed back on the severity of the ruling, while Murray said there had been trash talk but did not believe the play was necessarily malicious. It was the kind of sequence that can linger beyond one game, especially when emotions are already running high.
The other issue was less dramatic but just as relevant for Phoenixs rotation. Jalen Green stayed in the starting lineup even with limited offensive production, while Collin Gillespie gave the second unit a lift and Oso Ighodaro made a noticeable impact in his return from injury with rebounds and assists. For a team still sorting out its best combinations, the loss in Denver put two lineup debates right back in the spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Enter A November Stretch That Could Calm Or Deepen Doubts
The early tone around Phoenix has been uneasy enough, with a 1-3 start and an offense still searching for rhythm while the starting lineup goes without a point guard. November now offers a chance to steady things in a way the Suns have not had in a while, thanks to a long homestand that stands as their longest since the 2020-2021 season. For a team trying to settle its identity, the next few weeks should provide a clearer read on whether the issues are fixable or already becoming a pattern.
The schedule does not stay friendly for long. After the home stretch, the Suns head into a five-game road trip that includes NBA Cup games, and the calendar after Thanksgiving brings matchups against teams built around notable young players. That creates an interesting contrast for a roster leaning in a different direction, and it gives this month a chance to say a lot about where Phoenix really stands before the season gets much deeper. [Read more 🡒]