Despite the rough streak, the Suns will be fine … as long as James Jones sees the big picture
every year since Chris Paul attached to the phoenix suns there seems to be a stretch of deflation at some point for the Suns. The sky is falling. Panic. Everyone run! It’s happening again…
In 2020-21, the team began the Chris Paul-Devin Booker era with a tough 8-8 start where the headlines just didn’t seem like a good fit. If everyone wants a trip down memory lane, it was actually the bench that held the team together with a solid net rating, making up for the starters’ inability to snap right away. they did the nba finals.
In 2021-22, he was the 1-3 start postnba finals run where all the doom and gloom fans were quick to point the finger at the Suns as “exposed frauds.” They won 64 games … before bottoming out again in the playoffs, losing 4 of their last 5 to Dallas and assuming the mantle of “bad vibes suns.”
This season, it looks like this five-game losing streak (just snapped Thursday night against a severely understaffed Clippers team) will be the blow most take. I wish forget or at least look back and laugh as James Jones makes roster improvements and the team bounces back.
Yes, the losing streak is the worst in the CP3 era. It’s been ugly, there’s no way around it. On the other hand, this is also a period of games where they’ve been pummeled with reduced depth to the point where you can’t hide this from the front office. They need another creator and they need some depth on the wings.
It is necessary to make changes. This was evident even before this losing streak began, and all it has done is shed more light on it.
These struggles could later turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
Peaking at the Right Time: The Boston Example
It’s not how tall your peak is, it’s when your peak The Suns learned that lesson last year, and many teams that entered the playoffs with high expectations after an impressive regular season suffered the same fate.
A prime example of the regular season not being the end of everything was last year. boston celtics. A team that made it to the Finals thanks to a second-half stretch that calmed the doubters and saw them put their early-season woes behind them.
For those of you who don’t remember, Boston was ushering in the new year ahead of the December 31 New Year’s Eve matchup against the phoenix suns with a 16-19 record.
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Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Rumors of the Jaylen Brown trade were swirling, and personnel changes to a new coaching staff had already hit the rumor cycle. Celtics fans were sick of being “underachievers” up to that point, and with good reason.
I attended that game, and the Boston fans were surprisingly extremely nice to someone wearing Suns gear. One fan went on to say, “I’m jealous of what’s going on there.”
Oh how the tables turn. I’m sure they were pleased with how the second half of the season went, posting 35 wins in their last 46 games and clinching the second seed in the Eastern Conference en route to an NBA Finals appearance.
No, this isn’t an example to compare the Suns, but rather shows that being a contender comes down to two things.
Number one. Are you healthy? Number two. Are you playing your best basketball when the playoffs start?
If Phoenix enters the playoffs on the right trajectory at or near full strength, then that’s all that really counts. They have nothing left to prove in the regular season, although home field advantage would be nice.
It all comes down to being healthy, making the right moves, and peaking in unison at the critical moment.
Let’s all take a deep breath, Suns fans. Yes, it has been torture, but everything will be fine, health permitting.
Your move, James Jones.