What's Wrong With The Phoenix Suns?

The Suns are just 1-6 in their last 7 games - why?

Nov 20, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant looks on from the sidelines during the game between the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The 2024-25 Phoenix Suns have been very much a tale of two teams so far.

Phoenix has gone 1-6 over the last seven games since Kevin Durant was ruled out for an extended period nearly two weeks ago - although the morale hasn't been shaken, there are some things that simply haven't worked during this recent stretch.

Among those things is the drop off on defense. The Suns started the season with a top-half defensive rating and have fallen substantially since Durant's exit from the lineup - all the way to 22nd.

It can be presumed that the defense will see improvements once he returns, as key role players such as Royce O'Neale and Ryan Dunn will be able to benefit off of the help defense that Durant provides.

Phoenix isn't a defensive juggernaut of a squad, but there are too many playmakers and athletes across the perimeter to be a worse unit compared to last season. That would simply be inexcusable.

The other big-picture concern is obviously the center position.

Jusuf Nurkic has been battling through injuries to both ankles. Mason Plumlee is solid but doesn't do much to raise the ceiling of any given lineup. Oso Ighodaro is very much a prospect with a solid ceiling, but it still remains to be seen if he will feature more in Budenholzer's rotation as the season goes on.

A direct tie-in with the issue surrounding the front court is the rebounding inconsistency. The Suns still rank in the top-half of raw rebounding stats, but the advanced metrics don't play as kindly in the hands of the team as one would expect.

Nurkic is still a good rebounder - but not to the level of last season, which in turn makes the Suns more dependent on team-based efforts.

There's much to like about this year's Suns. That doesn't mean that there aren't things they can't reflect on which in turn should lead to improvements in the future.

The next time to catch Phoenix in action is on Tuesday, Nov. 26 against the Los Angeles Lakers.