Effort is poor
There are a lot of bad teams in the NBA. With the amount of talent and high draft picks on the roster, the Phoenix Suns should be at least among the more fun non-playoff teams to watch. But unfortunately, with poor effort on a nightly basis, that just isn’t the case.
Former Sun Jared Dudley knows a thing or two about the locker room in Phoenix, and he clearly believes there’s a culture problem. Responding to a Tweet about Chandler’s lack of effort in Phoenix compared to his first few games with the Los Angeles Lakers, Dudley said that Chandler wasn’t to blame.
That wasn’t the case.. stop blaming the players it’s the culture.. https://t.co/95tW2La1hz
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) November 12, 2018
Dudley says to blame the culture instead of the players, but it can’t be that simple. After all, players themselves are responsible for the culture of the team, especially a player like Chandler who was signed in large part for his veteran leadership. Still, Dudley does have a point. Ownership, the front office, and the coaches all play a big part in the culture, and the Suns seem to be at the bottom of the league in all of those categories.
A team’s best players and veterans have to set the tone. On the Phoenix Suns, the should-be leaders regularly give shaky-at-best effort. That stands in the way of winning games today and getting better in the future, and it’s a major reason the Suns have the worst culture in the NBA.