“I’ve never been swept a day in my life, so I’ll be damned if that happens.” Those words were said by Bradley Beal after facing a 0-3 deficit, and the potential of being swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Beal struggled to back up his words by scoring just nine points on 4-for-13 shooting, committed six turnovers, and fouled out after playing 31 minutes. However, what made matters worse was that the Beal got torched by Anthony Edwards, who scored 40 points on 13 of 23 shooting. It was a nightmare end for the Suns, who started the year as one of the top five teams favored to win the NBA title. So why did the Phoenix fail to meet expectations and challenge for the title? In this article, we will explore four reasons why the Suns failed to rise in the West.
1. Beal did not live up to the billing- Beal was supposed to be the addition in the off-season that would push this team into title contention. On paper, the trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Beal would form a juggernaut offensive squad to stop. The pressure was on Beal to be the difference maker after a blockbuster trade involving four future first-round pick swaps and six second-round picks. Beal was the NBA’s sixth highest-paid player this season and is owed $161 million over the next three years. The Suns will find it difficult to trade Bradley this offseason with that contract and must hope that the pain of this loss makes the St. Louis native come back stronger.
2. Injuries lead to lack of chemistry- The Suns struggled to keep their squad healthy and dealt with injuries that led to having 24 different starting lineups. The Big 3 of Durant, Beal, and Booker played only 41 regular season games together. Phoenix went 26-15 with the trio in the lineup, and the lack of familiarity showed in the playoffs. Beal appeared in 53 games after missing a combined 74 games in the previous two seasons. The team could not catch a break in the playoffs because Grayson injured his right ankle in Game 1 and did not feature in the remainder of the playoffs. Allen averaged a career-high 13.5 points per game while leading the NBA with a 46.1% percentage from 3-point range which earned him a 4-year, 70-million-dollar contract. The team could deliver a better product on the court next season if this team can somehow stay healthy.
3. Point Guard Struggles- in 2022, the Phoenix Suns won the Western Conference and returned to the NBA Finals for the first time in nearly thirty years. The team benefited from the leadership and a floor general in Chris Paul. Paul was able to dictate the pace, minimize turnovers, and ensure that the team could execute in crunch time. The trade of Paul meant that Beal and Booker would have to assume the defacto role of Point Guard. The decision to rely on their stars in this role has backfired because Phoenix ranked last in the NBA in offensive efficiency in the fourth and outscored by about 12 points per 100 fourth-quarter possessions during the regular season. The Suns will need a quality veteran Point Guard to take a minimum contract to orchestrate this offense if it is to challenge in the West next season.
4. Poor supporting cast- the star trio made $130 million combined last year and, as a result, the Suns had ten players on minimum or two-way contracts. The supporting cast included Eric Gordon, Yuta Watanabe, and Keita Bates-Diop who had options at other locations. However, the players did not deliver for Frank Vogel, and the bench became even thinner in the playoffs. The team suffered from a lack of size with Jusuf Nurkic proving a lesser quality player than De’andre Aayton. The bench lacked a quality backup big which gave the Timberwolves use to their advantage in dominating the backboard. Improving the supporting cast is a necessity if the team is to challenge, but they will be hamstrung because of the finances.
The future of the Phoenix Suns appears bleak with speculation surrounding the future of Head Coach, Frank Vogel, and the trio of its superstars. In a tough Western Conference, it will be hard for the Suns to rise into contention at this juncture.