PHOENIX - The Suns don’t need to hit the panic button after one game, but they do need to clean up a few things fast.
After opening the season with a lopsided loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix sits at 0-1 and heads into two off days with plenty to fix before the Golden State Warriors come to Mortgage Matchup Center on Saturday.
The biggest issue was impossible to ignore: the shooting. Phoenix went just 6-for-32 from three-point range, a miserable 19% that left the Suns chasing the game while Portland shot 40% from deep at the other end. That kind of gap makes the math simple, and it left Phoenix with no real margin for error.
There were already questions about how the Suns’ perimeter shooting would hold up in 2026-27, and Wednesday didn’t ease any of them. The trade that sent Miles Bridges to the desert for Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale thinned out the team’s shooting options, and Luke Kennard’s injury only made the picture worse. Jordan Ott has also made it clear he wants his team to play more inside, but that only raises the pressure on the looks Phoenix does take from outside.
Phoenix only shot worse than 19% from deep twice last season.
Devin Booker’s stat line wasn’t a disaster on paper - 23 points on 7-13 shooting, plus four rebounds and two assists - but the performance still drew scrutiny. Booker is the face of the franchise, and the way he opened the season is going to invite plenty of conversation.
He took 13 shots, didn’t attempt a three, and did little to quiet the idea that the Suns want more aggression from him in his 12th season. For a player in that role, it was a rough night, and one that raised questions about how he’s leading the offense right now.
Then there was the effort on the glass, where the Blazers simply took control. Portland outrebounded Phoenix 56-39, including 16 offensive boards, and that kind of imbalance cuts deeper than a bad shooting night. The Suns have built their identity around hustle and fight under Ott, so getting outworked like that was bound to leave a mark.
One game doesn’t define a season, and there’s no reason to pretend otherwise. But it’s fair to be frustrated by what Phoenix put on the floor.
Losing happens in the NBA. Getting beaten in effort by the other team is a much harder pill to swallow.
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