3 takeaways from the first half of the Phoenix Suns' 2024-25 season

The Phoenix Suns have officially completed the first half of their 2024-25 regular season, and they hold a record of 21-20. Nowhere near the levels expected of this group, especially after beginning the campaign on an 8-1 tear. That feels like a long time ago now, and the Suns have sputtering along since that hot start.

Injuries have not helped, but the main criticism here has been the roster construction. Center Jusuf Nurkic is now so bad that the franchise can't trade him, while Bradley Beal holds a no-trade clause and doesn't look like he wants to leave Phoenix. Tyus Jones has struggled defensively in recent times, and there's a reason Jimmy Butler continues to be looked at as the solution to their problems.

Which make their first half report card a challenging read.

It hasn't been all bad however - rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro definitely belong in the rotation - while Devin Booker and Kevin Durant can go off on any given night. The trade for Nick Richards was a smart move for a team in the second apron, although it remains to be seen just how much a backup center can change the fortunes of a group with championship ambitions.

3. This group is not winning a championship

Which makes this a great - albeit depressing - place to begin. As currently constructed, there is no way the Suns are winning a championship this season. The standings rarely lie, and this roster is not capable of beating any of the top four teams in the conference four times across a seven game series.

The best case scenario is that Richards has the kind of impact that Daniel Gafford had for the Dallas Mavericks last season. They added him at the deadline and went from floundering club all the way to the NBA Finals. There are two key differences between that trade and the Suns' addition for Richards though, and the first is that Gafford is simply a better player than the former Charlotte Hornet.

Even more important is the fact swingman P.J. Washington also joined the Mavericks at the same time, with that duo providing the kind of scoring punch and inside presence to fill out the rest of their rotation. Richards is going to help - he already did in his debut performance against the Washington Wizards - but that will only take this team so far.

It would be great if Nurkic could contribute and the vibes around Beal coming off the bench were improved, but that is not even the main issue here. Neither Booker or Durant have had the kind of dominant campaign that we've come to expect from them. Booker especially has disappointed, a 28-year-old superstar who looks more like his passive Olympic self than the Suns' cornerstone.

2. They abandoned their 3-point experiment

The addition of head coach Mike Budenholzer was seen as a welcome move by The Valley last summer, and he quickly got to work putting his mark on this group. This included getting center Nurkic to take around three 3-pointers each night - a career high for the Bosnian - in an effort to spread the floor and add a new element to Nurkic's game.

That didn't work, but it has been strange to see the team dip below league average in attempts from deep per game. In the earlier goings of the season they sat in the top five, but have gradually moved down the standings since then. Given the makeup of their roster, this has been a strange decision, especially given the struggles of this team to win games.

Last season Grayson Allen led the league in 3-point shooting, while Beal found himself in the top five. It is fair to point out that both now come off the bench, but Durant is an elite shooter from anywhere while Royce O'Neale leads the team at a sizzling 42.9 percent (Allen is currently tying O'Neale here after a slow start). Even Jones is connecting on 41.1 percent of his efforts.

Yet despite having the players to lean into the most important offensive skill in the league today, the Suns sit 17th in 3-point attempts so far this season, at 37 per game. Even the Orlando Magic - who sit last in makes at 30.4 each night - have attempted more than the Suns (37.1). You have to wonder if re-commiting to these shots in the second half of the season could lead to more wins.

1. Their aggression could still pay off

Despite being stuck in the second apron, the Suns continue to be linked with a move for Jimmy Butler. The latest on that somehow mentioning the Minnesota Timberwolves as a team who could help get Butler from South Beach to the desert. Even if that doesn't happen - and it looks less likely by the day - owner Mat Ishbia's willingness to do whatever it takes to win could still pay off.

Beal might not want to go anywhere, but one underrated aspect of the Nick Richards trade was that it saved the Suns roughly $20 million. In turning Josh Okogie's $8 million this season into the $5 million or so that Richards is making, they both saved some money in the short-term but also chopped a chunk off the penalties they have to pay for assembling such an expensive roster.

Cost saving measures are not what fans want to hear about - they've been there before under previous ownership - but it is different under Ishbia. While he saved money on this particular trade, he's already shown he'll spend the money required to win. He's already demonstrated this by trading for both Allen and O'Neale, before inking both to new, long-term deals.

Being so heavily linked with Butler and having the likes of Durant to trade down the road if they really want to abandon this current path is a position that Phoenix basketball hasn't found itself in much throughout its history. The moves to this point might not have paid off - but if the season so far has shown us anything - it is that the organization will not sit still if they don't have a roster to compete.