Suns’ glaring room to grow on display in loss to depleted Magic

Once you peel back a layer of the Phoenix Suns, it has not been a pleasant sight for what has been revealed. A reveal brought on by stretches without Kevin Durant continued in Sunday’s 115-110 loss to the Orlando Magic.

This is only the second game since Paolo Banchero was drafted when both he and Franz Wagner did not play for Orlando, with both suffering torn right obliques, and that was in Banchero’s rookie year two seasons ago. Orlando builds its rosters around length and versatility defensively, avoiding a prioritization of scoring and shooting.

Across the 20 games Banchero missed coming into Sunday, the only players in double figures with Wagner were Jalen Suggs (15.2 PPG) and Mo Wagner (13.3 PPG). Suggs is a defensive-minded guard and Wagner is a reserve 5, so that’s not a lot of individual pop to worry about.

If the Suns (12-11) made Orlando (17-9) uncomfortable with their defensive disposition, the Magic wouldn’t be able to piece anything together offensively. But in what has been a theme the last two years, the Suns are rarely the aggressors. Teams with a physical identity have the most success against them, and that’s even more of a hurdle when Phoenix is without Durant, Jusuf Nurkic (right thigh contusion) and Ryan Dunn (left ankle soreness)

Phoenix played solid offensively in the first half but wasn’t able to create much separation thanks to an efficient two quarters for Orlando. It entered the third quarter -58 over its last five.

In a great start to correcting this, the Suns began the period on an 8-2 run to go up 11. Orlando looked flat and it was a prime opportunity for Phoenix to put an inferior opponent away early, again, to not allow confidence to build.

Instead, the Suns relaxed, and not only did they let Orlando back in it but it was a 16-4 Magic spurt in under three minutes that gave up that lead. Orlando’s double-big lineup began eating on the glass and the Suns did not do enough work to prevent those bigs from getting around the basket.

The Suns were only -2 in the third quarter, an improvement, but a sequence of four turnovers in five possessions across the early fourth quarter suggested the fuse must have just been delayed. One of these turnovers was on an inbounds play when Bradley Beal could not get open and Phoenix had no awareness, effort or plan to find an alternative. No one was moving. The Suns definitely play hard but the gaps that occur over those efforts, especially mentally, are staggering.

Phoenix spiraled long enough for the Magic to once again believe they were going to win, shortcomings be damned. When are we going to see that belief from the Suns?

Look at the box score from this game and tell me which group has a decisive edge in playmaking ability and scoring ability. And guess which team looked far better than the other in crunch time that came down to those skills?

Suggs scored or assisted all 16 of the Magic’s points across a 4:10 stretch that went from Phoenix up two with 6:52 left to down five with 1:41 left. You decide if it’s more unacceptable that the Suns let him do that or that their pair of stars got outplayed by him when the game was on the line.

Phoenix is now three for three in getting quality contributions from its supporting cast in a shorthanded state and has now lost all three contests. Tyus Jones had 16 of his 21 points in the first half, Royce O’Neale added 16.

While Devin Booker and Beal were both better the day after a pair of duds in Miami, they were not nearly good enough in the final frame. Booker shot 8-of-21 and 2-of-7 in the fourth quarter. Beal fouled out with 1:05 remaining after going 8-of-12 for 18 points with two assists and five turnovers.

This team just isn’t that good if it is indeed this reliant on Durant. It should look no further than its opposition on Sunday as proof. And Durant’s return will set the table for what is all of a sudden a very important couple of weeks, in terms of evaluating what the Suns are. It was around this point last year when it was a clear, “What in the world is going on with these guys?” moment that didn’t stop. The alarm bells had been ringing.

They aren’t as loud right now. But if you listen closely enough, they’re there.

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