The Phoenix Suns are free-falling down the Western Conference standings as the calendar gets ready to flip to March. Forget about making the playoffs - they would only get humbled by a superior opponent at this point anyway - it is not even certain that the play-in tournament is going to be in this team's future.
If giving up 151 points to the Memphis Grizzlies in an overtime loss recently was bad - and let's be real that's not great - then losing to the New Orleans Pelicans at all is even worse. That's exactly what the Suns did on Thursday however, allowing the Pelicans to win only their 16th game of the season, even if was their third win on the bounce.
Devin Booker has revealed what has gone wrong this season.
Although the Suns look far from smooth offensively on any given night, they do have the talent to get hot and pour it onto opponents. Lost in the fact that they gave up all those points to the Grizzlies, is the fact they scored 148 themselves on a fringe contender. Positive as that is, it was completely forgotten about because they lost yet another game.
The defensive end is where this season has gotten completely out of control, and as of right now the Suns somehow sit in 27th spot in defensive efficiency (116.3). That's unacceptable, and it's not like they can blame former starting big man Jusuf Nurkic either. He's now with the Charlotte Hornets, with his replacement Nick Richards having had some time to settle in Phoenix.
In the aftermath of the loss to the Pelicans - and with attentions turning to the lack of execution by the group on what needs to be won to win games - Booker had a very simple answer. "That's been the story of the season thus far (failure to execute the game plan), it could be fixed with just a little more talking. Things get tough, we get quiet as a team."
Booker cut a frustrated figure on the podium when speaking to the media - which you can watch above - and it is easy to understand why. This is a guy who has been to the NBA Finals - and more than that - has had real alpha energy on both ends of the court on his way there. You might have caught Luka Doncic playing against his former team in the Dallas Mavericks recently.
He had a swagger to him - a determination to show his former franchise that they messed up - and he carried himself in that way. Yes there were airballs and Kyrie Irving routinely went by him, but he also made some big plays and let the Mavericks' bench know about it. Booker used to carry himself in that way - albeit a bit more understated - but we haven't seen that this season.
Devin Booker has the 7th most 35-PT games by a shooting guard in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/keBGvqxq57
— Real Sports (@realapp_) February 28, 2025
Those blaming Kevin Durant for this change in attitude appear to be wide of the mark, but Booker looks defeated by this season. That's a concern if the Suns want to keep him in The Valley long-term, as he is likely to miss the playoffs this year. Add that to being swept last time out and not being named an All-Star in 2025 either, and you could understand if he looked around at his situation.
There's a lot more wrong with this roster than simply not talking defensively, but doing so would be a start. The Suns regularly get beaten by better teams, but also ones who are young and hungry and want to go at their stars. The Portland Trail Blazers recently beat them twice in quick succession. Something needs to change, or else Booker might decide he need to force that change himself.