The Phoenix Suns are at a vital time in their season - not even halfway through.
It's well documented that the squad sits at a modest 14-13 record and at 10th in the Western Conference standings currently.
The NBA Today crew was joined by former WNBA star and current coach Becky Hammon - where she slammed the Suns for not playing a physical enough brand of basketball, for not having an enforcer- like a player such as Jae Crowder was in the past.
Hammon is unfortunately correct.
While the Suns also have a myriad of issues between the lines, they also too often lack the ability to do "big picture" things - boxing out, pressuring the rim, protecting the ball and diving for loose balls being the most notable.
There's too many factors that are in play for it to be pinned down to one cause. The team has communicated poorly on defense, played without fire in many games of late, and don't have a real offensive identity.
All of this can be remedied - at least temporarily - by leaning into the basics of the game.
There's a few that come to mind: Communication on defense. Push the ball in transition. Focus on a team rebounding effort tonight in the absence of leading rebounder Jusuf Nurkic. Don't continue forcing threes if the shots aren't falling. Make Kevin Durant the focal point of the offense.
There is still hope for Phoenix to turn things around, as the 2021-22 Boston Celtics started their season 17-18 before reaching the NBA Finals - though that's an exception, not the rule.
History says that if you are an average team through around the halfway point of a season, that's likely who you'll continue to be.
Phoenix doesn't have much time to figure things out, but there's still hope with the return of Bradley Beal coming as soon as early January.
The Suns will almost certainly be active in the trade and buyout markets as well, so reinforcements could be on their way in the coming months.
The truth is once the big picture things get sorted out, between-the-margins issues will be easier to solve.
Phoenix has to change their ways - and quick - which begins tonight in Sacramento.
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