What’s going wrong that the Phoenix Suns appear to be off course?

Officially speaking, the NBA’s most disappointing team this year is the Phoenix Suns.

After trading for Bradley Beal, the Suns finished the offseason full of excitement and are now 14-13 and firmly established as the Western Conference’s last play-in club.

Undoubtedly, the slow start has been attributed to health; this season, the Suns and head coach Frank Vogel have used 10 different starting lineup combinations.

However, Phoenix’s problems go beyond her health. Right now, this is not a good basketball squad. Time is running out for the Suns to get things together for the long haul this season, and they need to reestablish themselves as serious contenders.

 

What specific issue does the team have?

 

We’ve noticed three key aspects over this troubling basketball stretch:

By no means is the Suns’ defence terrible. It doesn’t have a terrible past like the Indiana Pacers.

 

However, its defensive rating is in the worst ten in the league, and everyone who has regularly seen the club understands that there isn’t enough effort on their part. The prevalence of miscommunication is high. The team is finally catching up to its inferior defensive personnel.

Only three times in Frank Vogel’s 10 complete seasons as head coach has a team’s defensive rating increased from game 25 to 82, as Suns writer John Voita of Bright Side of the Suns notes.