The Suns have a 15-15 record and are currently in 10th place in the West, which is a surprising performance. The Suns, who have three superstars, have a win rate of just 50 percent in the first 30 regular season games of the season. It is worth recalling that last season, the Suns were the only team to win the most games (2) from the championship team Nuggets in the playoffs and are considered to be one of the most annoying teams for the Nuggets. The Suns also had some wins when Paul was absent due to injury, and now Beal is back. From that perspective, the Suns should at least be on track to finish in the top four in the West this season. The Suns officially announced that Beal was coming back, while Durant had no way out, Booker also needed to focus on being a scorer, and Vogel faced some awkward choices. There's no doubt that injuries are a big reason for the Suns' decline, but even with Beal's prolonged absence and Booker's occasional absence, that doesn't excuse the Suns from finishing 10th in the West.
The Suns' Big Three have a 0-2 record when they play at the same time, and the team's overall defense has been the crux of the season. On the offensive end, the Suns appear to be lacking in means. Vogel is a coach known for his defense, and the Suns' stars are more inclined to play alone, resulting in the team's offense being too one-dimensional and easy to be seen through by opponents. Failure to improve offensive efficiency, coupled with a weak defense, will make it difficult for the Suns to face enormous difficulties. However, after the Suns' successful victory over the Rockets, they received another exciting news - Beal's imminent comeback. According to sources, Beal's recovery from injury has progressed more than expected and he could be back on the court as soon as the weekend. Subsequently, the Suns announced that Beal's appearance in the upcoming home game against the Hornets was upgraded from absence to doubt. The Suns reporter further revealed that Beal will ensure a return for the next six consecutive home games. In any case, the return of key players is undoubtedly a big plus for the Suns.
In this tumultuous time, the Suns desperately need more quality players to support them. The Suns don't tolerate any turmoil right now. According to NBA reporter Shams, the Suns' entire team is shrouded in frustration and disappointment, and both players and coaching staff members are deeply affected by it, especially after Woj Durant is depressed. The Suns desperately need a winning streak, and to make that happen, they have to rely on the return of their stars. Bill's timely comeback could be a remedy for the current emotional crisis. Durant showed leadership style by temporarily saving the team from the precipice with an excellent triple-double. It's clear that Durant was blamed after leaving the Nets for the Suns and had to come to terms with that reality. The Suns have been really disappointing lately, winning just four of their last 13 games and losing nine. To make matters worse, rumors of Durant being in a low mood have raised doubts about whether he will leave the team again.
People began to speculate that his next stop would be **. Given his previous decisions, it seems that this time, no matter how tough the situation, Durant seems to have no choice. However, for the Suns to get back into the championship lineup, the situation does not seem to be optimistic. They face two major problems, and there doesn't seem to be a good solution. First of all, the Suns have organizational problems, the lack of a proper playmaker, which is a well-known problem. Although Durant tried to take on the task of playmaking, the results were not satisfactory - his Nets were swept by their opponents in the playoffs. Beal, another playmaker, played for the Wizards for years but missed the playoffs in a row. Now that they've all proven themselves not to be good at that, the tandem of the team's offense falls to Booker. While Booker is seen by many as the No. 1 scoring guard in the West, he needs to transform into a guard who can play both roles if the Suns are to have a chance of re-emergence. However, his performance was unsatisfactory.
Although his base numbers are not bad, the problem is obvious. On the one hand, Booker clearly has some flaws – he can't play against the pack effectively, and he lacks vision when facing tall defenders. Although he averaged a career-high number of assists per game, Booker didn't seem to be able to spot some potential offensive opportunities compared to those top playmakers. His organizational skills don't seem to have been fully tapped and developed. A solid team needs not only a good scorer, but also a tacit synergy. If the team can't form a tacit cooperation, the Suns will not be able to pose an effective threat on the offensive end and can only rely on individual players' singles. Not only did this make the Suns' offense monotonous and rigid, but it also limited Booker's space to play in the game. Over time, this could lead to Booker being considered just a pure scorer and not being able to show more basketball skills.
Not only are the Suns limited in their overall offense, but that limitation also affects Booker's individual skill set. In addition, the Suns have had some challenges on the defensive end. In the game against the Rockets, the Suns' defensive problems were evident, with opponents shooting a whopping 41 from the field5%。Such defensive performances are worrying, especially in modern basketball, where opponents' high shooting percentages mean they can score with ease. Suns head coach Vogel expressed frustration, laughing that opponents are shooting as high as 42% from three-point range, which is an unacceptable fact for the Suns. To succeed in the league, the Suns will need to not only increase diversity and chemistry on the offensive end, but also find solutions on the defensive end. Only through the efforts of the whole team can a more balanced and strong team be built, and Booker can get rid of the label of "data brush" and single scorer.
The key to the Suns' future development is to overcome these issues so that the team can achieve more significant results in their careers. To overcome these issues, the Suns need to find solutions, whether it's increasing offensive diversity or improving on the defensive end.