What Suns Need to Adjust to Even Series vs Nuggets

The Phoenix Suns got outplayed in nearly every facet in Saturday night's drubbing at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.

The Phoenix Suns had a rough Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets, dropping the first meeting of the series in 125-107 fashion. 

The Suns fell short in many key aspects that usually tend to dictate the outcome of games, including losing the turnover battle by seven, offensive rebound battle by eight, and points in the paint by 12. Suns coach Monty Williams and staff will have one day to revisit the drawing board and make adjustments in an attempt to return to Phoenix with home court advantage. 

Book and KD playing the best defense on the Suns while carrying offensively is both extremely impressive and unacceptable—especially if you’re going to keep playing non-shooters. Need Ayton to step up and I believe PHX needs to lean into a shootout if they want to win this series

— NBA University (@NBA_University) April 30, 2023

The plain truth is Denver has possibly the most potent offense in the NBA that will be near impossible to do anything more than slightly deter. Nikoka Jokic might be the best offensive player in the entire league. Jamal Murray seems to always rise to the occasion. That two-man game isn't going to be stopped. 

Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all bring different strengths to the table that compliment the two stars well. There really aren't many adjustments that can be feasibly done to slow down this attack, it truly is a pick-your-poison proposition

The main adjustments that need to be made are on the offensive side of the ball. Since Denver's offense is so potent and difficult to stop, the Suns absolutely have to try to win the shootouts here. 

The wise move may be to experiment rolling out Terrence Ross, T.J. Warren, and Damion Lee into Durant/Booker lineups. All three are players who can space the floor from the corner, thus creating more opportunities for Booker and Durant to attack their spots. Lee might be the best choice here, as he shot around 60% on corner threes this season. Lee obviously possesses defensive deficiencies, but he'll likely demand more respect from Denver's defense than Craig or Okogie. 

At the end of the day, Durant and Booker will do their thing regardless. Both players' quest to score might be easier with lineups centered around better spacing, but Chris Paul is going to need to turn in some vintage performances. We saw a handful of flashes of that version of Paul during the game, but he is going to have to be the "third guy" and play more aggressive basketball.

Terrence Ross, capable of scoring 30 on any given night, never gets any meaningful minutes for the Suns. I just don't get it.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 30, 2023

The other adjustment is the possibility of giving Bismack Biyombo big minutes if Ayton continues to falter. Ayton's talent has never been the question. He can give you 20/10 any given night. The questions have always been about his motor and consistently being locked in during the grind of a long season. Those issues seemed to be largely quelled as recently as last year's playoffs: he was a well above average defender, one of the better rebounders in the league, and played with more physicality than any previous stretch of his career. 

The Suns don’t have much of a chance this series against Denver if Deandre Ayton has moments like this.

Simply inexcusable to watch your teammates fight for a loose ball while standing on the baseline. pic.twitter.com/gD09a1icHe

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) April 30, 2023

We appear to be back to square one here. Ayton has consistently been disappointing as a rim protector and rebounder this season, and there was one specific play this game that will be scrutinized for awhile. While the play didn't end in Denver points, Ayton completely quit on a play once he contested Bruce Brown's missed layup, allowing Jokic to get three chances to get an easy bucket. This also left Durant to do all the work at the rim, and Jokic will rarely miss even one cutback attempt. His lack of effort and IQ in these scenarios negate most of the value that's brought to the table offensively. 

While it may be a difficult decision, coach Monty may need to go into game 2 with the decision that Ayton will start the game on a short leash. While Biyombo has virtually no offensive game and had a rough first game, he played extremely well in the Clippers series for the most part. The veteran center also has an infectious energy and tenacious nature that the younger Ayton often lacks. Bismack is a strong rebounder on both sides, a valid rim protector, and a strong screen setter. He really does do a lot of the "little things" that aren't talked about often enough. 

Lastly, there is no use for Landry Shamet in the rotation. Shamet is a solid player on paper, but the eye test just isn't there. A spotty jumper (supposed to be a big strength,) poor court vision, and not athletic enough to be switchable or guard an opponent one-on-one. 

This was mentioned earlier, but a more reliable shooter such as Damion Lee has to be given those minutes if Phoenix is going to score enough to win a massive game two on Monday night.