The Phoenix Suns had a defensive formula last season that made real sense: put smaller, active defenders on Victor Wembanyama and make life uncomfortable for the San Antonio Spurs’ centerpiece. It worked, and it helped Phoenix reach the playoffs with the ninth-best defensive rating in the league at 112.9.
That approach is gone now.
By moving on from Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale, first-year head coach Jordan Ott has lost the two underrated guard-forward pieces who helped slow Wembanyama down in a pair of surprising Suns wins last season. At the time, the strategy was smart basketball. Phoenix used aggression and mobility to bother a giant, and it paid off.
Allen and O’Neale were not the Suns’ best defenders in a vacuum. Dillon Brooks, Collin Gillespie, and Mark Williams all bring more obvious value on that end, with Gillespie’s size taken into account.
But against Wembanyama, the Suns found a useful balance. They didn’t need to sacrifice their best overall defensive options to chase the Spurs’ star.
They had the right bodies for the job.
That specific answer is no longer available. Brooks and Miles Bridges are not simply plug-and-play replacements for the same assignment, and the Spurs have enough scorers that Phoenix can’t just throw away too much of its defensive structure to focus on one player. The old plan was effective because of who was guarding Wembanyama, not just because Phoenix was committed to the matchup.
The Suns may have improved overall by turning Allen and O’Neale into Luke Kennard and Bridges, and they can’t build a roster around one opponent anyway. But the loss of that particular defensive tool is real, especially with the Spurs looking like the kind of team everyone in the West will have to deal with for the foreseeable future.
There is still upside in Phoenix. Bridges gives the roster more size, and Khaman Maluach is coming on quickly.
Even so, the early returns could be bumpy. The starting five looks awkward right now, more will be asked of Gillespie, and Jalen Green has never been known for his ability to slow opponents down.
The Suns may still have a path to another strong defense, but the clean little Wembanyama solution they had last season is gone.
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For Suns fans, the comparison is hard to miss because this is the same kind of bargain-bin center search Phoenix has already lived through. The Lakers also brought in Deandre Ayton last season, only to find that the answer at the position was not nearly as simple as the name value suggested, and the concern now is that another quick fix could end up looking familiar in all the wrong ways. [Read more 🡒]
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Golden States inability to land the kind of upgrades it wanted has only sharpened the opening for Phoenix, especially with Stephen Curry still carrying the weight of an aging core around him. The Lakers have also changed the conversation in the division, but the Suns now have a clearer path than they have had in a long time, with a roster built to press the issue while the Warriors and Clippers try to sort out what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Have A Surprising New Favorite In Their All Star Debate
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Greens appeal is rooted in the way All-Star selections often work: big scoring numbers, highlight moments and name recognition can carry as much weight as broader team context. Dillon Brooks also sits in the mix after a strong year and a near miss in the broader conversation, but the real tension for Phoenix is whether Green can turn that kind of offensive momentum into the sort of standing that gets players onto the stage when voting opens. [Read more 🡒]