Huge problem bringing Bradley Beal off the bench emerges as Suns' season hits new low

Oh what a difference a day can make for the Phoenix Suns. On Monday the vibes were high within the organization, as they snapped a four-game losing skid versus the Philadelphia 76ers and brought Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic off the bench for the first time. They also tried a new lineup that they simply have to play more in order to win games.

Yes the 76ers were missing Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond - giving both Nurkic and Mason Plumlee an easier night in the paint - but so what? Getting the pair to come off the bench clearer brought more balance to the rotation, with Beal even leading the team in scoring on the night by pouring in 25 points.

Then the Charlotte Hornets came and ruined everything.

That would be a Charlotte Hornets franchise that was - prior to beating the Suns 115-104 in their own arena - a horrendous 7-27. Yes they have building block Brandon Miller and the controversial Miles Bridges can flat out score - but with the polarizing LaMelo Ball leading the charge - there's a reason this group is stuck near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

So it was that one day after the clouds had begun to part in The Valley, this team was right back to square one. Moving Beal to the bench in hopes he'll waive his no-trade clause - and also to create better balance for the starting group - remains the right call here. But it creates a new problem that cannot be quickly fixed, and that is giving Ryan Dunn too much responsibility as a rookie.

Suns fans rightly love Dunn - he brings so much energy and is already one of the best defenders they have - but if you're going to expect him to start and play around 25 minutes each night, then this is what is going to happen. He's simply not ready to step into the role vacated by a three-time All-Star, especially offensively.

Despite starting the season hot from beyond the arc, Dunn has regressed back to his days in Virginia. There's zero confidence despite getting open looks, which explains the fact he's only connecting on 30.2 percent of his 3.7 attempts each night. Defensively however it is another story, and he's an excellent fit next to Devin Booker and Tyus Jones.

He makes up for the deficiencies that some of his teammates have, but that doesn't mean he is perfect either. Dunn makes the mistakes that all rookies do - especially defensively - and we haven't even hit the halfway point in the season yet. A rookie wall is coming, if it hasn't already, and expecting Dunn to do more than he ever has when you're trying to go on a deep playoff run is unrealistic.

There may be a solution here in the form of Royce O'Neale - currently out with an ankle sprain - or even Grayson Allen, who was excellent in place of Beal last season. if this experiment does ultimately get blown up - and we're closer now than ever before - then fans will want Dunn to be around for the rebuild. He has the potential to be that good.

But when the goal is a championship this season, that is just not going to happen. To a lesser extend this is also true of fellow rookie Oso Ighodaro too. Already better than Nurkic and Plumlee, but also a second round pick who shouldn't be expected to do it all in year one. In solving one massive issue the organization has created another, and it appears to be just as difficult to fix.