Suns biggest weakness unquestionably turned into a strength

The Phoenix Suns struggled to be competitive in a lot of areas last season - which goes a long way to explaining why they only won 36 games - but the defensive end was the worst part of a dreadful season. Initially that wasn't meant to be a problem, the Suns hired a head coach in Mike Budenholzer and employed Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal so as to outscore opponents.

But when it became clear that wasn't going to be the case, there defensive woes were put under an even bigger microscope. Having an undersized floor general like Tyus Jones didn't help, while rotation guys such as Jusuf Nurkic (before he was traded) and Bol Bol (when coach Budenholzer felt like giving him a chance) were also a negative on that end.

Suns are going to be better defensive outfit this season.

But with the roster having been re-tooled around Booker's scoring talents, the Suns have actually turned their biggest weakness from last season into something that will be a source of pride in 2025-26. Not that it is going to lead to a playoff berth - and most likely not even 36 wins - but it is clear a defensive identity is being built with first time head coach Jordan Ott.

Consider that the Suns gave up 117.7 points last season - the fourth worst mark in the entire league - while they allowed opponents to make 37 percent of their 3-point attempts. That was also the fourth worst rating in that category. Yet with Jones and Monte Morris to take care of the ball as advertized, the Suns allowed the second fewest turnovers per game (12.2) of any team in the league.

This coming season the team are going to trade away those lack of turnovers - expect that to regress to league average - but get more stops as a result. It will begin with Dillon Brooks, who is going to take every made basket against his new team personally. He will be the defensive quarterback for the campaign, and the Suns will be a better team for it.

Behind him will be centers Khaman Maluach - as raw as they come and in need of a ton more reps - as well as Mark Williams. Assuming he can stay healthy, 23-year-old Williams is the big and athletic presence the roster has lacked since Deandre Ayton. If he is on the court, the Suns will again concede less points.

The same won't be true of Maluach right away, and he is the biggest x-factor here. If he shows any kind of promise early, Phoenix could flirt with a top 10 defensive finish on the year. It is also worth considering that Booker - in what it is hoped will be a big bounce back season for him - is more than capable of putting his weight too. Even if he's closer to a top 20 than top 10 player right now.

Really though it is second year tandem Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro who can drive the defensive standards in The Valley. Although the numbers don't totally back it up, when on the court last season their sense of urgency and actual want to defend was massively important. Dunn in particular can be this roster's answer to Mikal Bridges.

Ighodaro will see some time at both the four and five, and he has the bounce and speed to keep in front of quicker players, while also banging inside. This should have a positive impact on backup point guard Collin Gillespie, who also puts a shift in every time he's on the court. What was once a point of attack for opponents is going to be much different next season as the Suns have a defensive identity.