Booker's sloppy Suns fall to Grizzlies

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00:00Welcome to our breakdown of the Phoenix Suns early season struggles. The Phoenix Suns are

00:05struggling to establish a new era for their team due to their careless style of play and

00:10inconsistent performances from their star players. On Wednesday they suffered a narrow

00:14defeat against the Memphis Grizzlies, losing 114-113, marking their fourth consecutive loss

00:19and leaving them with a disappointing 1-4 record at the start of the season. A significant issue

00:24for the Suns has been their inability to protect the ball, as they allowed 37 points from turnover

00:29with 15 of those occurring in the crucial fourth quarter. Prior to this game, they were already

00:35ranked last in the league for points allowed off turnovers, averaging 25 per game, and had

00:41previously given up 23, 24, 28, and 25 points in their earlier matches. Head coach Jordan Ott

00:48expressed his frustration, suggesting that the team's defensive performance could improve

00:52significantly if they could simply stop turning the ball over. He emphasized the need for better

00:58decision-making, jokingly proposing that it would be better to kick the ball out of bounds rather

01:03than hand it over to the opposing team. Addressing issues of sloppiness in October is a different

01:09matter than doing so in March, particularly for a new team and coaching staff. There is hope that with

01:14time, the team will improve and refine their play. It is unwise to overlook the situation. However,

01:21the statistics do not account for the defensive miscommunications, lack of organization,

01:26and poor fouls. Correcting these issues will require a significant amount of time.

01:31As we enter the second week of the season, we are still trying to identify the true Devin Booker.

01:36If you are missing the games and only checking the box scores the following morning,

01:40you might disagree with this assessment. For instance, in Wednesday's game, he scored 32 points

01:46on 10 of 26 shooting, along with 3 assists and 3 turnovers, which is a recent example. Yet,

01:53he appears to be far from his usual self in nearly every aspect of his performance.

01:58As has been noted repeatedly in this discussion, Booker's excellence is characterized by his rhythm

02:04and pace. He typically maintains a composed demeanor, regardless of the surrounding chaos.

02:10Unfortunately, this quality has only been evident in brief moments over the first five games,

02:15primarily during the second half. Currently, Booker's shooting statistics reveal that he has made 14 out

02:20of 41 attempts, 34.1% in the first half, while he has been more effective in the second half,

02:27hitting 31 out of 53 attempts, 58. By 5%, he was the first to acknowledge his performance at the start

02:34of the season. The game on Wednesday featured two teams that were shorthanded and not expected to make

02:39the playoffs, which resulted in a chaotic style of play reminiscent of a fiercely contested college

02:44basketball match. It was not surprising to see this kind of performance, especially considering the

02:49timing just before Halloween. For the first time this season, the Suns managed to avoid a poor start

02:55and had a solid defensive showing, limiting Memphis to just 49 points in the first half. However,

03:00Phoenix struggled with consistency throughout the game, leading to a situation where the Grizzlies had

03:04opportunities to take control. In a scenario similar to the Suns' loss earlier in the week,

03:09Memphis held leads of 9 points, 1-16 in the third quarter, 10 points, 7-har in the fourth quarter,

03:169 points, 5-0-4 in the fourth quarter, and 6 points, 3-23 in the fourth quarter. Each time,

03:23the Suns found a way to respond and chip away at those deficits. After the Grizzlies' last lead,

03:28Devin Booker scored six consecutive points, which allowed the Suns to tie the game with 2-23 remaining.

03:34The Grizzlies managed to score four consecutive points, followed by a three-pointer, bringing the

03:38score to 1-12-111 in favor of Memphis with just 90 seconds left in the game. However, a turnover by

03:45the Suns allowed them to capitalize with a quick basket, giving them the lead. Additionally,

03:50Devin Booker played exceptional defense against Ja Morant, forcing him to miss a shot, which shifted

03:56momentum in the Suns' direction, with about 45 seconds remaining. With 17 seconds on the clock,

04:01Booker attempted a challenging step-back shot from the left wing but it did not go in.

04:06Following this miss, the Suns struggled to defend effectively during a semi-transition situation,

04:11which had been a recurring issue throughout the week. Initially, Royce O'Neal focused on preventing

04:17Morant from receiving an outlet pass. However, when the ball was passed to Santi Aldama, O'Neal

04:22switched his attention to stop the ball. At that moment, Grayson Allen realized he needed to cover

04:28Morant, but Morant was already in motion, catching a pass while driving towards the basket. He then

04:34executed a smooth floater, regaining the lead for his team. With just seven seconds remaining and the

04:40Grizzlies down by one point, the situation became critical. A timeout is typically called to advance

04:46the ball and organize a play. However, the Suns found themselves in a difficult situation as they

04:51had no timeouts remaining. With two minutes left in the game, Devin Booker attempted to drive to the

04:56basket but had the ball knocked away by Ja Morant, who was providing help defense. In an effort to secure

05:01the loose ball, Booker dove for it and called a timeout to maintain possession, inadvertently using

05:07their last available timeout. Earlier in the quarter, the Suns had already lost another timeout

05:12due to an unsuccessful challenge, on a call that is seldom overturned. In light of this predicament,

05:18the Suns resorted to a fundamental play they had practiced during training camp, which involved Mark

05:24Williams receiving the inbounds pass near half-court to facilitate a handoff to Booker. After receiving the

05:30ball, Booker had the opportunity to face Jaron Jackson Jr. in a one-on-one situation with just four

05:36seconds remaining after crossing half-court. Although the Suns were trailing by one point,

05:41instead of driving to the basket, Booker opted for a quick crossover and a fall-away three-pointer

05:46from two steps behind the arc. The shot was taken from eight feet away, and the high launch angle

05:52needed to get it off almost resulted in a successful basket. But ultimately, it did not go in, and that

05:58was the end of that. Looking at the overall performance, during the last three quarters, the Suns

06:03recorded 17 assists while committing 19 turnovers. Williams had an outstanding game as a member of

06:09the Suns, making significant contributions on defense while also fulfilling his role as a

06:14scorer and rebounder. He ended the game with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and four steals in 28 minutes

06:20during his first start. It would certainly be exciting to see how he performs if he can maintain

06:25his health, as one can only imagine the rhythm he could develop after playing consistently for several

06:30weeks or even months. Colin Gillespie contributed 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and a

06:38block in 31 minutes of play. He finished the game in place of Ryan Dunn, which was a well-deserved

06:43recognition given Gillespie's impact on both ends of the court. Jalen Green, who was dealing with a

06:49right hamstring strain, and Dylan Brooks, suffering from right groin soreness, were both unavailable for

06:55Phoenix. Green had initially been listed as questionable on the injury report, which had

07:01sparked some hope. There is a possibility that he could participate in the game. According to Ott

07:06before the game, Green has not experienced any setbacks with his hamstring strain. Following the

07:11initial announcement regarding his condition, a 10-day period was established for further updates,

07:17which will conclude on Friday. While no new information has been released, John Gambadoro from Arizona

07:22Sports mentioned that there is considerable optimism from the Suns regarding Green's potential return

07:28within the first five games of the season. Both Green and Brooks are currently listed as

07:33day-to-day regarding their availability. The Memphis team is missing several players, including

07:39Brandon Clark, who is recovering from right knee surgery, Zach Eady, who underwent left ankle surgery,

07:46Ty Jerome, dealing with a right calf strain, and Scotty Pippen Jr., who had left toe surgery.

07:52Morant contributed 28 points, shooting 10 of 19, along with 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 6 turnovers.

08:01However, he does not appear to be the same player he was 3-4 years ago when he seemed ready to dominate

08:07the league. His signature moves characterized by his incredible agility and explosiveness no longer

08:13create the same level of separation. Despite this, he is still only 26 years old. Cedric Coward made a

08:20significant impact in the game for Memphis, contributing 14 points and helping to secure

08:25the victory. As a rookie for the Grizzlies, he is already attracting attention, serving as a reminder

08:30for Suns fans to exercise patience with their own first-round pick, Common Maluak, who was selected

08:36just one spot before Coward. Coward's journey is quite remarkable. He began his basketball career playing

08:41at the Division III level. His fortunes changed when the head coach of Eastern Washington happened to be

08:46observing a game at Willamette University and noticed Coward, prompting him to pursue Coward

08:51through the transfer portal the following year. Coward then enjoyed two successful seasons in the

08:56Big Sky Conference with Eastern Washington, before transferring to Washington State with the same

09:01coach. Unfortunately, his time at Washington State was cut short due to an injury after just six games.

09:07Despite this setback, Coward decided to enter the NBA draft, making him one of the more enigmatic

09:13prospects. A few months prior to the draft, he was considered a potential first-round pick,

09:18but he ultimately garnered enough support to be selected in the late lottery. Notably,

09:22Coward is three years older than Maluak, which further emphasizes the need for patience as Maluak

09:28develops in his own career. What are your thoughts on the Suns' performance so far this season?

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