2. Fix the disharmony in the group
It doesn't take a professional psychologist to know that is something not quite right with this roster at this moment in time. Again, there don't appear to be any major issues and being 14-14 at this stage of the season isn't a complete disaster, as long as the Suns' record looks a lot better by season's end.
But that doesn't change the fact that the vibes at this stage are a far cry from those which were displayed by the players, coaching staff and front office at media day. Creating a united front was likely one of the key reasons the Suns traded Deandre Ayton for Jusuf Nurkic and Grayson Allen close to the beginning of the season.
Ayton was seen as a disruptor to the common goal of winning that this group had - yet even though he is now in Portland with the Trail Blazers - all does not seem right. Veteran Eric Gordon went public in voicing his own displeasure recently, and while he is known as a straight shooter, his comments about not getting enough shots up could not have come at a worse time.
I agree with Eric Gordon. Suns need to use him to stretch the offense away from KD and Book. pic.twitter.com/oyr8P4vgOD
— Gabe Guerrero (@GabeGuerrero03) December 24, 2023
Not even a day later, Beal came out and said that the season up to this point "had been a little rocky". Nobody is disputing that this is the case, but the timing is once again not in line with what you would expect from a star player who was brought to The Valley to be the final piece of a championship puzzle.
Maybe there is more going on behind the scenes, and Gordon and Beal feel like these little comments to the media are what is needed to jolt the franchise back to life. But this is more in line with what younger players who are still more focused on getting theirs would act, and not two players who are both 30 or older, and who have never won a championship. This needs to change, and fast.