Halfway through the season, if you were to pick the team that has been the most disappointing so far this season, the Phoenix Suns would be on the list. As a team with active and even historical scorers, the Suns are now only ranked eighth in the West, and after being gradually stretched by their opponents, they have not opened up the gap with the teams behind them, and the Suns may not even be able to enter the playoffs if they are not careful.
Since acquiring Durant last season, the Suns have been committed to making the team work towards winning a championship, and in order to achieve this wish, the Suns management even acquired Beal in the offseason through a trade. As a player who hasn't suffered a major injury in his career so far, Beal's health can really reassure Suns management, and his offensive firepower will allow the Suns to play more fluid scoring.
Beal was obviously able to enhance the Suns' options in key moments, but the Suns overlooked one point, which was the integration of the Big Three. Even if the Suns can stagger the three to lead the team separately, the Big Three will inevitably appear together after the opening, and the Big Three will be indispensable when the game enters a critical moment. The Suns are just trying to improve their offense, but they don't realize the importance of tactical fit.
In terms of playing style, Beal is not a good fit for the Suns, or in the absence of a passing master like Paul, Beal is unlikely to show much power in the Suns' tactical system. The Suns got Beal in the hope that he could add more offensive opportunities without the ball to the team, but Beal has always been a big core with the ball, and the absence of the ball in his hands will make Beal's power on the offensive end drop significantly, which will affect his offensive efficiency.
Beal couldn't show his might on the offensive end, and the Suns didn't make sense of Booker's adjustments. Sending Paul away in the Beal trade and failing to keep Payne in the offseason left the Suns without a proper point guard in the backcourt, and they ended up with Booker playing the point guard role. Although Booker can control the ball, he is not a master passer, and he cannot use the ball to drive the Suns' tactics, which also affects his offensive state.
When Beal and Booker don't perform well, Durant can only support the team alone, but for a veteran who has reached the age of 35 and has suffered a major injury, this is obviously an infinite drain on his energy. Not only on the offensive end, Durant even on the defensive end has to pay attention to a series of blue-collar jobs such as supplementing defense, grabbing rebounds, steals, etc., compared with last season, Durant's pressure on the court has not decreased but increased, and it is no wonder that Durant will complain about the current situation of the team.
According to the current state of the Suns, the best result is to enter the playoffs, and it has almost become a luxury to want to play in the playoffs. After being under great pressure on salary space, such results are obviously not satisfactory to the Suns management, and the Big Three will also have a certain gap between each other, and can only lead to the result of parting ways in the end.