What’s Real About Suns - And What’s Not Through 11 Games

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns have not lived up to expectations so far this season with a 5-6 record, but are trending in a good direction with four wins in their last five games.

It's early, but there are some positive and negative areas that already can be highlighted, especially given that Phoenix has stayed relatively healthy outside of losing Mark Williams for several months because of a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

Here's what's real and what's not real based on what the Suns have shown so far this year:

What’s Real - Starting Lineup, Jalen Green Concerning Fit

The Suns have simply not found success with Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Miles Bridges sharing the floor together because of their overlapping skill sets and lack of cohesion on both sides of the ball.

It's hard to see this four-man lineup, which has a minus-21.2 net rating in 168 minutes together, finding success at this point. A starting lineup change is looking more likely every game played.

Green has been the biggest concern, averaging a career-low 11.8 points per game while shooting 27% from 3-point range and hasn't been able to fit into the playmaking role the Suns want from him, which has already led to him being involved in trade rumors.

The Suns have a large enough sample size dating back to last season that the three-man pairing of Booker, Green and Brooks is not a recipe for success, while Bridges is still working to fit in with the rest of the group as well.

Replacing Green in the starting lineup with either Collin Gillespie or Jordan Goodwin seems like only a matter of time at this point.

What’s Real - Suns Are Middle-of-the-Pack Team

The Suns had a very tough schedule to start the year while trying to work through this wonky starting lineup fit, and it did not end well as they began 1-5.

Since then, Phoenix is 4-1 in large part due to Booker being on a tear and the bench performing at a high level.

The Suns have won all three games they've played against teams below .500, showing they're good enough to consistently win over the teams in the bottom of the standings, but have had some ugly losses to teams near the top of the standings.

It's looking more and more likely the Suns will finish around where they did last season as a play-in team.

What’s Not Real - Defensive Struggles

The Suns' biggest concern during their 1-5 start was their defense and rebounding, as they ranked dead last in the NBA with a 124.5 defensive rating.

Rebounding is going to continue to be an issue, especially without Williams, but they have found success over the last five games getting back to what made them a top-10 defense last year: forcing turnovers and defending the 3-point line.

Phoenix has the sixth-best defensive rating in the NBA over the last five games (109.0), has forced 18 turnovers per game over that stretch and held opponents to 33.9% 3-point shooting. The Suns also rank third in the NBA in points off turnovers with 22.2 per game for the whole season.

Although they are currently 26th in the NBA with a 117.6 defensive rating, the Suns should continue to improve in this area as the season goes on.

What’s Not Real - Trade That Will Fix All Problems

With all the recent rumors involving Green, the Suns have too many problems for one trade to fix.

Green does not have much trade value with the $36.3 million he is owed this season and his $36 million player option for next season, so the Suns might have no choice but to be patient with him and hope a bench role could work out for the best.

It's hard to see any of the potential trade candidates, including Dejounte Murray, Domantas Sabonis and Darius Garland, significantly improving the Suns, even if they could help address some of the team's weaknesses.

Ultimately, the Suns and coach Jordan Ott will have to find a way to continue working through their issues internally and hope success can follow.

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