The Phoenix Suns have opened the NBA season at 1-2, and Devin Booker’s huge night against the Golden State Warriors is the only thing that has kept them from an 0-3 start. Booker is going to have his share of good and bad games over the course of the year, but the bigger problem is that the Suns aren’t putting him in a position to thrive.
As Sam Vecenie of " The Game Theory Podcast" put it, the real issue goes deeper than one lineup or one poor stretch. "My real issue with everything Phoenix is doing here with this group is that none of it is in service of accentuating Devin Booker or the scheme Jordan Ott found success with last season."
That’s the heart of it: Phoenix has drifted away from the formula that worked. There’s still time to straighten things out, but early on, there has been very little to like about the way this group has played.
The easiest answer looks obvious - get Booker an actual point guard - and Collin Gillespie is already there on the bench waiting for a bigger role. It’s not a perfect fix, though.
Even with his defensive effort, he can still be targeted because of his size. At this point, though, it’s worth testing.
Jordan Goodwin may be the more practical short-term option. He could help create for Booker and the rest of the group while still bringing the defensive energy that helped make the Suns such a tough team to deal with last season. That edge has disappeared so far, and until Coach Ott is willing to shake up the starting lineup, the same issues are likely to keep showing up.
Booker is about to turn 30 and remains a midrange master, the kind of scorer a team should build around with defenders who can compete and shooters who can space the floor. Right now, that balance is off.
The Miles Bridges trade is being blasted for good reason, especially with the Suns giving up an unprotected first-round pick in 2033, but the roster issue goes beyond that move alone. Phoenix also misses Grayson Allen badly, because he was exactly the kind of fit Booker needs whether he starts or comes off the bench.
The criticism around Bridges is only going to get louder until he proves himself on both ends. Putting him in the starting five has only highlighted the problems with the roster construction, but he is not the only reason the Suns are in this spot. The team has strayed from what worked a year ago, and Dillon Brooks has also cooled off after the best stretch of his career.
Owner Mat Ishbia has made it clear he is not trading Booker. But if Phoenix keeps handing him this diluted version of a star who may be one of the best players in history, it will only chip away at the legacy of The Valley’s favorite son. The message is simple: big changes are needed, and they need to happen ASAP.
In Other News...
Suns Suddenly Have Real Trade Leverage With West Contender
Oklahoma Citys 4-0 start has done little to ease the strain of losing Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace for the long haul, and that reality has quietly created an opening for Phoenix. The Thunder have the kind of depth and ambition that usually keeps them in the market for help, and from the Suns point of view, that makes a couple of their rotation pieces suddenly look more valuable than they did a week ago.
Ryan Dunn and Jordan Goodwin fit the sort of profile a contender can talk itself into when injuries start to squeeze the margins, especially if Oklahoma City wants to patch specific holes without reshaping its core. For Phoenix, the bigger point is not that a deal is close, but that a team with clear needs and an obvious timeline has given the Suns real leverage if those conversations keep moving. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Are Feeling Oso Ighodaros Absence More Than Expected
Oso Ighodaros oblique injury has become more than a temporary lineup note for the Suns. The second-round pick has been out with no clear return date, and the effects have shown up in ways that go beyond the box score, with Phoenix losing some of the extra ball movement and defensive activity he helped provide. His value has been tied as much to organization and versatility as to any scoring output, which is part of why his absence has been noticeable.
What has stood out is how much the Suns leaned on Ighodaro as a connective piece on both ends. His absence has come with drops in assist and steal percentages, a sign that Phoenix has missed his ability to facilitate offense and switch defensively across different matchups. For a team that wants flexible, reliable minutes from every spot on the floor, replacing that kind of presence is not as simple as plugging in another body. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Small-Ball Problem May Not Be On Jordan Ott
With the Suns forced into small-ball because of injuries to their primary big men, the early-season picture has been more complicated than simply blaming the lineup construction. Through the first three games, some of those undersized combinations have struggled badly, but others have actually held up well on both ends, which makes the conversation around the teams starts and rotations a little less tidy than it first appeared.
Jordan Ott is still working with a roster that has pushed him toward a style he would likely rather avoid, and the results have reflected that constraint. The bigger issue for Phoenix may be less about the idea of small-ball itself and more about which combinations are being asked to carry it, especially while the normal frontcourt rotation remains unavailable. [Read more 🡒]