Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer faced a tough reality after a crushing defeat at the hands of Trae Young and the undermanned Atlanta Hawks. With Kevin Durant and Devin Booker scoring 31 and 35, respectively, it looked like the Suns were about to pull away with their first win in Atlanta. However, a recurring issue proved to be the reason why they weren’t able to capitalize with a dub, especially with KD and Booker putting up a great fight.
Budenholzer gave props to Young who had 43 points and shot 6-for-12 from three. The three-time All-Star took more shots than usual and torched the Suns with his shooting. Onyeka Okongwu also had the best night of his career after recording his first 20-20 game. Okongwu finished the game with 22 points and 21 rebounds.
But, how did Okongwu grab that many rebounds? Well, as Budenholzer said, it’s mainly because the Suns couldn’t get their own.
Phoenix Needs a True Center
The lack of a reliable big man to crash the boards proved to be a vital factor in their disappointing loss against the Hawks. As a team, they were heavily outrebounded by Atlanta, 54-37. But the biggest hole in their offense is failing to grab offensive rebounds.
They only grabbed six offensive boards, compared to the Hawks’ 20, which is more likely an automatic 28 points at most.
Durant and Booker are two of the best scorers in the league today and may be a championship-caliber duo, but they need the right pieces to complement their play. After taking in Bradley Beal’s massive contract in 2023, the Suns haven’t been able to add solid reinforcements. What they need right now is a serviceable center that can at least protect the paint to chip off some load from their stars. Jusuf Nurkic is benched, and Mason Plumlee isn’t the best option right now.
By having two elite scorers on the floor, the Phoenix Suns shouldn’t have problems like this. Looking at them right now, after going below 0.500 (19-20), can the Suns even make the playoffs in a stacked Western conference? Seems like the closest they ever got to the Larry O’Brien trophy was in 2021.
