Phoenix Suns Address Current Losing Streak, Plans To Improve

From being the top dogs of the Western Conference to being the unfortunate carriers of a five-game losing streak, the Phoenix Suns have been forced into a tight spot ahead of their matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, December 15.

Their slump has made them the laughing stock of NBA fans, and fan pages on social media and the team appear to be fully aware of both this and their current form.

Kelly Iko of The Athletic spoke with some Suns players including stars Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton, both of whom had harsh assessments of how things currently stand.

"We just losing. We're losing. It is what it is. Obviously, it ain't no excuses—we give them a lot of credit for how they played and move on," Paul said of their surprising 14-point loss to a Houston Rockets team bound for the draft lottery.

Two seasons removed from their first runner-up finish in the 2021 NBA Finals, the Suns have disappointingly been a beacon of inconsistency.

Their most notable loss prior to their recent blowouts is that of their preseason defeat to the Adelaide 36ers of the Australian Basketball League (ABL), allowing them to go 24-of-43 (55.8%) from deep while only going 9-of-34 (26.5 percent) themselves.

It would appear to be a foreshadowing of the Suns' season thus far.

Phoenix is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA and is ranked sixth in three-point shooting percentage and 19th in opposing three-point percentage.

Those are certainly concerning numbers for a team hoping to find redemption following their surprising exit in the 2022 Western Conference semifinals to the Dallas Mavericks.

Ayton acknowledged the Suns' difficulties, especially on defense.

"It's kind of hard to get into a rhythm on offense because we play so much defense and we're fouling. All that stuff is deflating, man, and mental as hell. We could say a lot. But really man, we just gotta approach these games knowing that teams are coming to knock our head off our body, bro," he told Iko.

The max contract man also noted that teams are playing them harder than the ones shown on film–as if they had a massive chip on their shoulders when facing the Suns.

It quickly became apparent in their current losing streak featuring the Mavericks, Boston Celtics, New Orleans Pelicans and Rockets, all of whom blew them out of the water.

While it would be understandable to count the Suns out because of their current run of form, it is important to note that this is a team that has been battered by injuries for the better part of the season.

Starting forward Cameron Johnson remains out as he deals with a torn meniscus, Paul had just been recently welcomed back to the team after missing 14 games due to a right heel issue and team MVP Devin Booker being sidelined by his bothersome hamstring.

However, head coach Monty Williams offered some semblance of hope for doubting Suns fans everywhere.

"It's just part of the NBA season. You look across the league, every team is going through it. Just look around the league, you'll see it on every team," he stated.

Paul also had his own take on the matter, seemingly echoing his head coach.

"Stay the course. It's a long season. Don't get too high, don't get too low. We won 18 games in a row last year and lost in the second round, you know what I mean? We got a long way to go," Paul shared.