5-On-5: What Has Keyed Phoenix Suns’ Turnaround?

2. How has this team improved defensively?

Bourguet: Going a little bigger certainly hasn’t hurt. Tucker is versatile enough to defend either wing position, Marcus Morris is a pretty underrated defender and Brandan Wright stepped up big for the few games Alex Len missed. Now that Len is back, the Suns have their defensive anchor in the middle. With an Eric Bledsoe-Brandon Knight backcourt being slightly undersized, Tucker and Morris guarding the wings has shown that Phoenix has the potential to be a very good defense depending on the lineups.

Chasen: Communication is big. I feel like it’s been better, and I think the other part is guys learning to play with each other better. The Suns have the potential to be great on defense a couple of years from now with P.J. Tucker, Alex Len and the two-way potential of the backcourt, so I don’t think there’s a whole lot of science to it.

Hann: Their will and want to defend is almost unrecognizable compared to how it was at the beginning of the year. The team is communicating and constantly moving on defense, disrupting passing lanes and the most shocking statistic, out-rebounding their opponent. Defensively, the Suns have not looked better in the past 10 years. Shocking, considering where they were before the All-Star break.

Saar: It seems like it is boiling down to just personnel and effort.

Personnel: Marcus Morris is a better defender than Knight, especially since he knows the schemes and has been in Phoenix longer. Also, Tucker guarding shooting guards really puts the pressure on the opponent. Additionally, the lineup change helps the Suns with rebounding, finishing the defensive possession.

The effort is just there. They see the finish line, and they see the way. It’s like a red carpet was rolled out for them. There are just enough games left to pass Oklahoma City in the standings and OKC is missing two of its top three players. They have the desperation, the perseverance and the determination to push to the playoffs.

Harris: Having more size on the floor helps, especially with the incoming play of T.J. Warren and Brandan Wright. Also, P.J. Tucker has been playing excellent defense recently, most notably his performance against James Harden and the Houston Rockets.

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