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Phoenix Suns: How Their Defense Improved And The Offense Died

By Gerald Bourguet

Mar 27, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris (11) and center Alex Len (21) and forward P.J. Tucker (17) and forward Marcus Morris (15) and head coach Jeff Hornacek and guard Eric Bledsoe (2) look on during the final moments of the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at US Airways Center. The Trail Blazers won the game 87-81. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 27, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris (11) and center Alex Len (21) and forward P.J. Tucker (17) and forward Marcus Morris (15) and head coach Jeff Hornacek and guard Eric Bledsoe (2) look on during the final moments of the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at US Airways Center. The Trail Blazers won the game 87-81. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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Phoenix Suns
Mar 9, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight reacts on the court after suffering an injury in the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

The Fallen Knight

Of course, it’s a lot harder to build chemistry with new teammates when your most important one has missed as many games as he’s played. You have to feel a little bit sorry for Brandon Knight, who was having a career year with the Milwaukee Bucks until they decided they didn’t want to pay up for him this summer and surprisingly traded him away.

Now Knight is in a system that will take the rock out of his hands and play him alongside a ball-dominant guard in Bledsoe. That’s a lot to take in in a limited amount of time, and it’s a major adjustment to make on the fly as your new team tries to compete for a playoff spot.

That adjustment hasn’t come easy for Knight. Here’s a look at how his numbers have declined from his time with the Bucks:

  • PPG: 17.8 PPG –> 13.4 PPG
  • APG: 5.4 APG –> 4.5 APG
  • RPG: 4.3 RPG –> 2.1 RPG
  • FG%: 43.5% –> 35.7%
  • 3P%: 40.9% –> 31.3%

That’s not to make too many excuses for Knight, however. Some of the blame has to be on him. He’s mostly looked uncomfortable in a Suns uniform, and the one game where he looked most at home, he only played two quarters before going down with an ankle sprain (that part’s obviously not his fault).

Knight has missed 11 of a possible 22 games so far with the Suns, 10 of which were because of that ankle. As a restricted free agent this summer, Knight is heading for a big pay day, but Phoenix’s front office would probably feel a lot better about everything if they’d been able to see him play alongside Bledsoe a little bit more.

In any event, Knight’s absence has made it that much harder for the new-look Suns to develop any sort of cohesion. Hornacek’s lineups have had to change on a week-to-week basis, and it doesn’t help that when Knight’s been on the floor, he’s been nowhere near as effective without the ball in his hands.

Note: It’s worth mentioning that Bledsoe’s 43 percent shooting since the start of March hasn’t helped this whole backcourt dilemma.

Next: The Mook Effect

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