The Phoenix Suns have had a poor start to the season across the board, with swingman Luke Kennard one of the few players actually doing what they were brought to The Valley to do. He is an elite 3-point shooter, and although he has appeared in only two games, shooting 60 percent from deep on five attempts each night is a good start with this group. It will all be for nothing if the Suns can't learn how to defend at a high level once more and get back to being competitive.
Kennard a luxury when Suns need to take care of basics first
The Suns have the worst defensive rating in the league right now (124.5), and Kennard was not brought in on a two-year, roughly $12 million deal to help on that end of the court. He's out there to replicate some of the shooting that both Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale (how the Suns miss that duo badly right now) provided last season, while creating space for others to operate.
Only he's often out there with another new addition, Miles Bridges, who has struggled badly to begin the season, while both Dillon Brooks and Devin Booker haven't had the desired impact consistently for the Suns. It is great when Kennard can check into a game and give them 10 points while keeping opponents honest outside the paint, but it is all for nothing when the teams can't follow that up with stops.
If Kennard were more of a two-way presence, this would be a different conversation, and that was a role Allen was much better equipped to handle. His departure does not explain why the Suns have lost their defensive spark from last season, but he was an underrated part of how they contained opponents. He even successfully guarded Victor Wembanyama for a small period of time.
Kennard will be overlooked for Dunn, Peat as Suns search for identity
If this were the same scrappy group who made life difficult for everybody they faced last season, Kennard's job would be simple. Let his teammates hound opponents, come off the bench, and get hot for small periods of time. Only there is no hounding being done, which is why Head Coach Jordan Ott may have to turn to Ryan Dunn or Koa Peat to recreate the defensive identity of last season.
Showcasing Dunn more regularly could also have the added benefit of making him a more appealing choice for the reeling Oklahoma City Thunder, giving the Suns an opportunity to land some badly needed future assets. Luke Kennard was a brilliant addition by the front office this summer; they just couldn't have anticipated needing to put out several other fires after only three games in order to begin to get the best out of him.
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