Suns Must Regain Physicality, Grit Amid Losing Skid

The Phoenix Suns are losing their composure as the team continues to slip in standings. Center Deandre Ayton says the team is worried about too much.

Author:
Remy Mastey
Jan 4, 2023 9:00 AM EST

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Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns have officially hit a new low.

On Monday afternoon, the Suns dropped their third straight game in a row losing 102-83 to the New York Knicks. The Suns have lost six out of their last seven games and do not seem like the same dominant team they once were.

Phoenix - still without Devin Booker - now face the possibility of going winless on their six-game road trip.

“I don’t even know, man,” Deandre Ayton said following the loss. “I don’t even know what’s going on. For me, I could tell you this – I’m not used to the no fight in us. I’m used to us being down a hundred, and we still are going to pull out and win the game, or we still have that mentality like we’re about to win this game. Right now, we don’t have that, so that’s the only thing that’s going on throughout these games and why we’re losing.”

Over the past two years the Suns have been a team feared around the NBA, tallying 115 wins through two regular seasons, the most of any team. That doesn't seem to be the case any longer as the Suns have completely lost their identity.

The NBA world is starting to take notice:

“It's really all in the physicality, man,” Ayton said. “I think teams are trying advantage of us, so just hit first. But we can embrace the hit and hit back. That’s what I’m used to, that’s the things we do. It’s the course throughout the game, we have to keep going for it. Not just the first quarter, or the first half – it’s throughout the first game.

“We just have to learn to sustain momentum of the game, especially when we’re on the road. We have to make shots, but we can’t get down when we’re not [making them] – and the rhythm of our offense, because at the end of the day we have to go back on the other end and play defense. I think that’s what’s slowing us down a little bit, man.

"We are worried about a little too much. We’re worried either about the score, or us not making a shot. It’s intervening with our effort, so that’s about it man, we just got to stay stationary and lock in like how we used to lock in.”

To start the season, the Suns were sitting pretty as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference but have suddenly dropped to the eighth seed with a record of 20-18.

We are closing in on the mid-point of the season and while it seemed like a lock earlier in the year that the Suns would make the playoffs with ease, reality is starting to set in that it may be a tougher challenge than originally expected.

“Right now, we can’t be thinking that somebody’s going to feel sorry for us or thinking somebody is going to save us – nobody is going to save us,” Ayton said.

Phoenix has a chance to end an abysmal six-game road trip with at least one positive note if they can secure a win against a new and improved Cleveland Cavaliers team. A victory will not only end a tough losing streak but will also spark energy for a team that is in desperate need of it.

“We can make all the excuses we want, but the game’s got to get played,” Damion Lee said. “It’s just figuring out what we can do as a collective, finish off this road stand, and then get back home. Get rejuvenated before another nice four-game road trip. It’s just figuring it out day by day what we can do to just be better.”