The Phoenix Suns fell to 1-3 on Friday night with an Emirates NBA Cup loss at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, and this was a game in which Head Coach Jordan Ott revealed what his ideal 10-man rotation is going to be. Unlike last season, when that group had balance on both ends of the court, they are not going to be strong enough defensively each night to stop opponents from scoring.
Suns missing that link piece who makes it all come together
It didn't help that Dillon Brooks got himself ejected and was limited to only 21 minutes of action, and having him for an additional 10 would have helped. But this was the latest example that Brooks and Miles Bridges in the frontcourt won't work, and while it was nice to see Oso Ighodaro return from an oblique injury, he is still finding his feet early in the campaign.
Ighodaro, a former second-round pick, should not be this important to the Suns' chances of winning anyway, but having him back out there does at least help the team to try and get stops. Coach Ott started this season using youngsters and two-way players to see if any could provide a spark, but to this point, only a 43-point performance from Devin Booker has led them to a win.
The 10-man rotation we saw against the Nuggets featured a starting five of Booker, Jalen Green, Brooks, Miles Bridges and Khaman Maluach. The bench unit was Ighodaro, Collin Gillespie, Ryan Dunn, Jordan Goodwin and Luke Kennard. When fully healthy, Ighodaro and Maluach will swap positions, but what opponents is that group stopping?
Goodwin is one of the most underrated defenders at his position in the league, but he can only do so much when he's out there with the likes of Bridges, Gillespie and Kennard. It is easy to say that the departed Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale acted as the link between both sides of the court, but there may actually be a lot of truth in that. An elite 3-point shooter in the case of Allen, but who could also guard quicker and smaller opponents, bigger backcourt players and even some forwards.
Coach Ott needs to find clever way to make 10-man rotation better
That might be asking the impossible, but Coach Ott can't go on using these 10 players in this way. Starting center Mark Williams is a miss, but he needs to find an unexpected spark from deep in the roster. Jamaree Bouyea has provided nice bursts in the past, but his skills overlap some with Goodwin. Dunn is a capable defender; he just has no consistent offensive game.
That might be what it takes to balance this group, while rookie Koa Peat may get another extended chance sooner than expected. Two-way signing Pat Spencer brings enthusiasm, but he and Gillespie share many similarities. There may be no solution to this massive problem, but there has to be, or else the Phoenix Suns' season is already doomed.
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