If there is one area above all else where the Phoenix Suns have struggled all season, it is on the defensive end of the court. Hardly a surprise, when you consider this roster is built around Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. All three of those guys can have their moments - but over the course of a long season - it is nowhere near enough.
Not having a dependable center is also an issue - and while Nick Richards has tried his best since joining before the deadline - there is a reason he was a backup for the Charlotte Hornets. On certain nights he looks great and has an impact, but this is often followed by a more pedestrian performance. Throw in an undersized point guard in Tyus Jones, and you're going to have problems.
It is baffling why this team doesn't use Ryan Dunn more often.
You surely remember how rookie Ryan Dunn started this season with a bang, slotting in seamlessly with the stars in the starting five and knocking down 3-pointers at an elite clip. That hot shooting cooled off, while a couple of niggling injuries forced him to miss some games when he had built up some nice momentum.
Despite those small setbacks, Dunn has still managed to start 28-of-57 games played so far this season, and when out there is one of the best defenders that this team has. The numbers more than back that up as well - and although offensively it can get a touch ugly when he spends too long on the ball - Dunn having the best defended field goal percentage of all rookies is reason enough to use him.
Yet with the exception of about 15 seconds of action against the Memphis Grizzlies recently - a contest in which the Suns needed a few stops and lost by two points - Dunn wasn't used. Even more bizarre - in the tiny amount of time that we did see him - it looked like he was making subtle differences defensively.
Of course we would highlight this when trying to argue the case for Dunn, but go back and watch those possessions yourself. No Suns player on this roster has the combination of size, quickness on the perimeter and ability to mix it in the paint against certain bigs than Dunn has. It is everything this team has needed for much of the season.
They had the worst defensive rating in the league in February (122.0), while for the season as a whole they sit 27th (116.8). Yet when Dunn is out there, that number shrinks to a more respectable 113.2, which would put the Suns above league average if applied to their season. Again there are clear offensive struggles, but it is baffling head coach Mike Budenholzer won't use him at this point.
The season is essentially lost, and Dunn figures to be a player for the future. Giving him more minutes isn't waving the white flag either, as he can actually help them to win close games by defending all manner of opponents. It is also a sorry state of affairs when Bol Bol - barely used through the first 50 or so games of the campaign - can all of a sudden become a starter.
That isn't meant as a slight at Bol either - it is great to see him finally get a proper chance - but he's even worse defensively (116.0) than Dunn is offensively (109.0). Only the Suns have plenty of firepower on any given night, but shutting down elite scorers is a problem that has plagued them from the get-go this season.
Which has culminated in Dunn playing just 4.3 minutes per game in March. Contrast that with the 21 or so to start the season, and it becomes clear coach Budenholzer doesn't trust him for some reason. Given he may not be going anywhere despite fans wishing that were the case, that could be a problem for Dunn's development. Play him more, good things will happen as the season winds down.