We Need To Talk About The Suns DEFENSE..

We Need To Talk About The Suns DEFENSE..

Sundo, I can handle losing, especially to the Nuggets. I really did think that we could beat the Clippers, but I do fully understand losing to the Nuggets. I could even handle losing half or more than half of the games this season. That’s not the issue. The issue now with the Suns being one and two is that this newly aligned Suns roster, using air quotes, it’s supposed to do one thing. They have one job. play hard defensively or play with consistent high effort. Neither of those two things are happening. In fact, through the first three games, I think we might have seen one half of that, the second half versus the Kings. My biggest issue, and I’m kind of boiling over about this right now, is that I feel like this team is playing the exact same brand of completely lost defense. There’s some new intensity with Dylan Brooks, and I think Ryan Dunn’s playing with intensity, and they’re not the only two, but they are either as bad or worse at closing out at the three-point line, and that will be the death of us. I’m seeing the exact same level of defense, at least on the three-point line, that I saw when the last two teams gave up on Frank and Bud. I’m noticing two problems with the team right now. And one of the problems we are very very familiar with as we have been complaining about about this team for the past three seasons now that turnovers have been plaguing this team whether it was Devin Booker or Kevin Durant or Bradley Beal. Turnovers were just a big pain for this team. Let me just put it that way. And that seems to be happening all over again. Devin Booker this past game had eight turnovers. I can’t remember how many turnovers he had the night before, but he led the team once again. And so that will lead to baskets on the other end. Obviously, the other issue that I’m seeing is Gabe, and I’m I’m kind of with you on this. I don’t think it’s because of lack of effort. I think it’s because of too much effort. There was times in this game where what it came down to was Joker had the ball where he normally has the ball, free throw line, paint, whatever. Nick Richards Oso was on him. And you would see one of the wings overcommit to help on Joker. And yes, I know it’s Joker and Joker is Joker and he’s going to be do Joker things, but you need to trust your bigs, who by the way, we we went and sought these bigs for this reason to have link to guard other players like Joker. We got Mark Will for that reason. We have Nick Richards for that reason. Uh they believe in common Malawatch for that reason. And of course, they’re playing OSO because they they believe in him also. So, it’s like you need to learn to trust your teammate to do their job and you don’t need to overcommit and collapse in the paint because then it leaves dudes wide open. It was leaving the Cam Johnson’s wide open, the Aaron Gordon’s bronze, etc. I thought that was the biggest culprit in both of these games actually where both of these teams had pretty goodized bigs. The Clippers had Zubots and Brook Lopez and that was an issue as well. And then this bleeds over into Joic and Valenunis. It’s just they got to be able to really trust our bigs. And it just seems like our wings are just collapsing and not doing it. I think that can be coached. That can be coached and that could be uh a point of emphasis and coach out of them. It’s now will the players do it and will they respond? Who knows? But I think these two things are fixable. Stop turning the ball over and giving them chances to score and then stop overcommitting on defense. Trust your teammates to do their job and then you do your job. This video is brought to you by our presenting sponsor FanDuel. Sundo and I will be using FanDuel Sports all season for every bet and parlay and so should you. Sign up today and start winning money on the Suns. That’s interesting. I don’t hate it at all. I think that’s probably a good part of the problem. I do feel like this whole we’re trying to win now, we’re trying to stay competitive and scrap and surprise everyone by not being a bottom feeder. I feel like that’s going to get in the way of being able to hold players accountable, specifically obviously the vets that are not closing out the guys who are getting to play over the youngsters. If they don’t feel like there’s any threat to them losing minutes, what can you really hold over their head? If they don’t think that there’s any way they’re coming out because the young guys aren’t ready. If I’m Jordan not during one of these timeouts, I’m telling these guys, hey, you’re out because you’re not closing out on the three-point line and you’re you’re helping the other team snowball into an avalanche of us not being able to come back. I’m just seeing open threes specifically being the reason why we get down so much. And it’s like, oh, can we do a comeback? Can we can we pull off a comeback? The direct contribution is these wide open, I mean, egregiously wide open threes. I just feel like if you can’t stop that, if you can’t threaten these guys with their minutes, you can’t stop it. There’s nothing else that they will listen to. I’m assuming you’re talking about and what I’ve saw is the the the same culprits from last year on the team doing the same thing which is the Grayson Allens, the Deon Bookers, the Royce O’Neals, where they’re sort of not hustling to close out, they’re sort of just jogging to the close out, maybe casually putting their hands up. I can’t think of one player on this team that’s not guilty of leaving people wide open for threes consistently, including Dylan Brooks and maybe Ryan Dunn. I’d have to go back and look. I think Ryan Dunn was the only one that was consistently playing defense and closing out and it shows in the in the plus minus territory of the stats this past game. He was the only one who was a zero, you know, and it it shows for that reason. So, you can’t really put this on Ryan Dunn. Now, everybody else was a negative, including Royce O’Neal, who was the biggest negative of the entire game against the Nuggets. And I mean, that stood out to me. In 28 minutes, he had he was like what, minus 20 something. So, that’s not good for a veteran like that who we got and who we claim is a defensive presence. Well, it doesn’t really seem like it with those numbers. And let’s be real, he’s been in minus the entire season when if you look at it. So, yeah, there’s something to what you’re saying now. Will they actually do it? I I hope so. I I mean, I hope the I hope seeing Malawatch in this game against the Nuggets getting 14 minutes has something to do with that. And I hope maybe we’ll see Fleming more. You know what I mean? Like I hope that that does happen. At the end of the day, there’s not really a whole lot of quoteunquote young guys you can threaten these veterans with though. It’s really just maybe Colin Gillespie plays a little bit more. Maybe Jordan Goodwin plays a little bit more. Uh maybe Livers plays a little bit more. I don’t see Brea coming out because he’s I you know defensive. We talked about this defense for Brea isn’t his strong suit. I agree maybe he could, but like who are you really going to threaten playing time with? What young guys? just Fleming and Malawatch at this point. And I really do feel like they’re getting ready to start getting some minutes after this past game. We saw Malawatch get 14. Fleming got four. I don’t see any difference between Fleming and Nigel Hayes Davis. So hopefully we start seeing more Fleming minutes. We could definitely use them with his length length and athleticism. So I get what you’re saying. I just don’t know who like who are you going to threaten playing time for? There’s just because there’s plenty of veterans on this team. I think it would be a revolving door and an understanding of you lose your minutes now. Someone else, anyone else, but it’s not going to be you. So, someone else, it’s like uh musical chairs. Okay, now you’re sitting in the chair. Will you go guard the three? Oh, wow. You did. Guess what? You’re rewarded with minutes. It’s changing the culture of the only people that are allowed to play on this team are the people that do not allow wide openen threes. And the second you do, you get pulled for anyone. I don’t care if it’s Livers. I don’t care if Jaylen Green gets pulled for Livers and then Livers gives up open threes. And then you put Jaylen Green right back in. It’s just the it’s just the action of pattern interrupt and setting a precedent that when this happens, you come out. And I think you and me pretty much agree. Like I agree with you, it’s turnovers. I think the bigger issue is the threes. You probably think it’s the turnovers, but I’ll tell you, we’ve been giving up 70 points each of the first uh first halves this season so far, basically. maybe give or take a point or two. I truly believe it’s because we’re giving them so many open threes. That’s what balloons their score up to 70 plus in the first half. Can’t win like that. No, you can’t win like that. And I mean, I’m with you on that as well. I do think it’s turnovers, but I also just think it’s just coaching and positioning. It’s not hard to stay on your man and trust your teammates to guard. It’s really not. Now, I think trust will come in time if they continue to work together and they and they get the right rotations right. But again, I’m going to keep bringing that up. You don’t need to collapse in the paint when you have big men that specifically are on this team to be an anchor in the paint. You need to trust those guys and you need to stick to the wing. It’s really that simple. Like this is like like basketball 101. Stick to your man. Don’t collapse in the paint. Leave somebody open. And they’re just collapsing. Honestly, that’s really what’s happening a maj the majority of the time when they’re out of position. Now, being lazy and lolly gagging to the spot, you know, on a fast break or maybe because they just don’t want to get out there, that’s different. But the majority and the biggest problem I’m seeing honestly is the inside out game. At least this past game where Joker Valentunas had in the paint. We collapsed in. Ball goes out. Boom.

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