What's Gone Right, Wrong for Suns Recently?

The Suns have put out a mixed bag of results so far this season - but there are positives to build on.

Dec 28, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) controls the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns are just 15-16 on the season after losing their last five of six matchups.

Everything from injuries to effort has left their mark on the Suns in their recent stretch - what's gone right and wrong?

Right: Defensive Improvements

The Suns were statistically one of the very worst defenses in the NBA from December 5 to 23 - despite possessing substantially better personnel this season compared to last.

Phoenix sunk to bottom 10 levels in many defensive metrics - but the last week has gone a long way towards restoring at least some faith that the ship can be righted moving forward.

Kevin Durant, Ryan Dunn, Josh Okogie - and even the Mason Plumlee/Oso Ighodaro duo have been instrumental in the resurgence.

They have done a phenomenal job in containing Nikola Jokic, Kyrie Irving, and Steph Curry within the last seven days - the Warriors' fourth quarter shouldn't take away from what the Suns built up in the middle quartile of the game.

The overall defensive rating over this trio of games sits at 111.1 - which would grade out as a middle-range defense over a full sample, but that is an extreme improvement over the 116.6 figure they have accrued over the course of this full season.

There is a lot to build off of - but we also must see a more expansive sample before declaring this defense as an improved unit as a whole compared to 2023-24.

Wrong: Injury Woes

This isn't necessarily a factor that can be controlled, but it is frustrating nonetheless.

For reference, here is a comprehensive list of games missed by key Suns players so far this season (in 31 games).

• Kevin Durant: 10

• Devin Booker: 5

• Bradley Beal: 10

• Josh Okogie: 14

• Grayson Allen: 8

• Jusuf Nurkic: 8

• Ryan Dunn: 4

This isn't necessarily as extreme as a team such as the New Orleans Pelicans - but at the same time feels like the timing of injuries has been more disheartening compared to the amount of time missed.

It feels like the trio of stars suffer setbacks at inopportune times and are ultimately unable to build as much camaraderie as necessary due to the typical awful timing.

It also wouldn't be entirely shocking if Royce O'Neale misses his first game of the season tomorrow night either - so stay tuned to see if the poor fortunes continue on the injury front.

Right: Offensive Structure

The offense has been the one fairly consistent stalwart of the season for the Suns - and much of that can be credited to coach Budenholzer for installing a very pointed offensive philosophy.

The Suns consistently attempt 35-40 three-point looks per night - although it arguably should be a higher figure, it is consistent. They also figure into league-best territory in both raw turnovers per game and turnover percent. The offense has flowed in roughly the same manner through 31 games despite Booker experiencing a down year.

Tyus Jones has been a revelation for the offense as well in general - having enjoyed a wonderful December even with a small handful of rough showings in the last week.

Say what you want about the general underachieving of this Suns team, but the offense hasn't been something that has consistently let them down.

Wrong: Playing Down to Competition

The Suns have lost to the Brooklyn Nets, Pelicans, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, and Detroit Pistons over the last five weeks.

This isn't meant to be disrespect to those squads - as all of the ones mentioned above have shown the ability to compete this season. This is more of an indictment of a lack of focus on the Suns on a game-to-game basis thus far - which was supposed to be something that coach Budenholzer would instill.

Injuries, questionable roster construction, and other things could ultimately be pinned on this fact, but the unpleasant truth is that the Suns own one of the highest payrolls in NBA history. They have to win those games - there isn't any way around that.

If the Suns can't remedy this issue, they could be in for a moment of reckoning in the next three months.