Suns' Issues Rear Head in Ugly Loss to Hawks

The Suns once again lost a key momentum-building opportunity, largely due to roster weaknesses.
Oct 26, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns center Bol Bol against the Dallas Mavericks in the home opener at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Oct 26, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns center Bol Bol against the Dallas Mavericks in the home opener at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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PHOENIX -- Yet another setback has dawned upon the Phoenix Suns.

Coming off of a three-game win streak, the Suns had a prime opportunity to reach 20-19 on the season on Tuesday night against the Atlanta Hawks - and fell short in a 122-117 defeat.

This is the second loss in the last week for Phoenix. Among the most glaring factors in the losses was an issue that has been team-wide for a large fraction of the season - rebounding.

"It starts with everybody who is out there has got to participate. Got to commit to rebounding. Are there other guys or other things that we can do to help our rebounding, we got to look at that."

Those were the words of head coach Mike Budenholzer when asked about the shortcomings in that facet of the game - and if a player such as Bol Bol could postively contribute in the near future.

The losses to the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks featured ceding 20 offensive boards to their respective opponents.

That typically isn't going to cut it in the league - especially when Phoenix only grabbed 14 of their own misses in the two games combined.

The Suns must be better on box-outs, tracking long misses, and making it a true team effort when it comes to grabbing 50-50 balls.

The minutia of the game matter as well, arguably as much as big-picture factors - and the Suns don't always capitalize in breaking the little things down to a science on a consistent basis.

"We've got finish possessions and I think probably bring a level of physicality to the pick-and-roll game, the switching the communication. All those things, we've got to be a little bit better."

This is once again Budenholzer - who is clearly well aware of the inconsistencies of this squad in the department of communication, playing the ball in a physical nature on defense, and even taking care of the ball in high-leverage offensive moments.

The Suns are a very talented team - but they must make up for less athleticism relative to other teams by doing these things at an elite level, and that just isn't the case and hasn't been for some time.

Royce O'Neale gave his input on what went wrong for Phoenix in the loss - echoing many of the sentiments that Budenholzer did:

"Our communication. We've got to be more alert, be more engaged whether we're making guys drive or shooting contested 3s. I think that all comes down to also rebounding."

Part of Trae Young's massive 43-point outing was catalyzed by some sloppy pick-and-roll coverages and late closeouts.

The defensive shortcomings - including a lack of consistent POA help - is just a microcosm of other things that have gone wrong in the first three months of the 2024-25 season.

Getting crushed on the offensive glass. Squandering vintage Devin Booker and Kevin Durant performances. Missing nine free-throws.

While Phoenix did improve some facets such as fast-break scoring (won 21-7), along with points in the paint (lost 44-42), it feels as if they are unable to close the gap in many of those key statistical areas that tend to determine who wins a game.

The obvious truth is that the Suns have to do better on a number of fronts if they want to climb back into playoff territory - but they must get back to the basics and take advantage of a winnable two-game stretch tomorrow and Saturday before facing a major test against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.


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Kevin Hicks
KEVIN HICKS