How the Phoenix Suns Can Get Back on Track

The Phoenix Suns will need to clean up their play and remain confident to fix issues to right the ship.

Author:
Everett Williams
Jan 8, 2023 11:30 AM EST

In this story:

Following Friday night’s loss to the Miami Heat, the Phoenix Suns officially have a win percentage of .500. Sitting at a 20-20 record, Phoenix has fallen from an incredible height all the way down to the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference.

If the season ended today, the Phoenix Suns would miss the playoffs for the second time under head coach Monty Williams but would still potentially get in through the NBA's Play-In tournament.

The Suns are currently riding a painful five-game losing streak, and in their last 10 games, the Suns are 2-8. The winning ways of October and November have become a stranger to a Suns team decimated by injuries.

Phoenix is falling in the Western Conference standings quickly after being bitten by the injury bug hard.

This Eastern Conference opponent stretch not been kind to the Suns who are just 3-10 against the East. The Suns are still seeking their first road victory against an Eastern Conference team as they are 0-7 away from Footprint Center.

Eastern Conference teams have feasted on the Suns at home winning every matchup this year.

At this point in the year, Phoenix is desperately seeking any victory to help the team build some confidence. Here are two ways the Suns can right the ship immediately and fight for a playoff spot in the West as we approach the second half of the season:

Limit Turnovers

Without the scoring potential of Devin Booker, the Suns will need to play efficient basketball. Limiting turnovers will give Phoenix a shot at scoring the basketball more, something they’ve struggled to do in this recent stretch of losses.

The Suns have had double-digit turnovers in eight of ten games. Offensive chances will be valuable for a team not shooting the three particularly well, meaning more field goals and post play will be the main mode of scoring.

Deandre Ayton spoke about this following the loss to Miami on Friday night:

“We have to take care of some of these turnovers, man. We be turning the ball over, and make sure we stay disciplined when it comes to our basketball," Ayton said. "The pace that we come with against teams, we just have to make sure we stay solid. Just to be in the right positions coming down the stretch. A lot of these games looking like it is coming to one possession games.”

If the Suns limit turnovers, this will give them better odds at scoring instead of leaving offensive possession empty without a shot attempt. This will also help the struggling transition defense that the Suns have fallen into during this ten-game stretch.

Suns sloppy play has plagued the team, not offering them chances on the offensive end during the month of December.

Keep a level head

Remaining calm in the face of adversity is the recipe for any struggling team, but especially for the Suns after such a dramatic fall from grace. Head coach Monty Williams is optimistic about the way the Suns have continued to work hard throughout the season saying, “It’s what we love about our group. We come to the gym every day with that mentality and we have confidence in our game plan and we have confidence in the work," he said.

While the wins have not shown up in the past month, the good sign is the Suns still seem to believe in the system established by Williams.

Confidence will come after some wins for this group, one that is plenty capable of turning the season around. Ayton offered his interpretation of his belief in the team stating, “Only thing we can do is keep solid. I know this group can do it, no matter who is out there on the floor. That is why it can tend to get frustrating because we believe so much in our group. We know the culture and the things we have to go by to contribute to the team.”

Suns C Deandre Ayton still believes Suns can turn things around, trusts his teammates and the culture in Phoenix.

The Suns need to rally together and remain calm during this stretch as there is enough of the regular season that will needs to be played. Perhaps a move will be made before the Feb. 9^th trade deadline that will shake things up, but until then, the Suns have some work to do to climb their way back into the Western Conference standings.