The Phoenix Suns hope 2023 can propel a new sense of play and hunger after dropping their previous five-of-six games.
With no Devin Booker and recent developments suggesting Cam Johnson may not be back as soon as expected, the Suns will finish their road trip with games against the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers before returning home for matchups against the Miami Heat and Cavaliers (again) .
Their recent form has dropped them outside of the league’s top ten in two notable weekly power rankings:
Weekly slate: Win at Grizzlies, Loss at Wizards, Loss at Raptors
Zach Harper on Phoenix’s New Year’s resolution: “Make sure the body parts of Devin Booker get healthy and stay healthy. As good as this team is and can be, they’re not doing anything significant without their best player being able to lead them. Chris Paul is pruning up before our eyes on the basketball court, and the Phoenix Suns just need Booker at his best to get them back into contention.”
John Schuhmann: “Without Devin Booker for at least another 12 games and with guys like Torrey Craig and Josh Okogie playing more minutes, the Suns may need to be a hard-nosed defensive team that also scraps on the glass … More important is that the Suns are now just one loss away from matching their overall total from last season (when they were 64-18). They’ve obviously missed Booker’s offense as they’ve lost seven of their nine games without him (including the Christmas loss in which he barely played), but their defense has also seen the league’s third biggest jump in points allowed per 100 possessions from last season (106.8, third).
“And as fun as it’s been to see Craig and Okogie scrap, this team also misses Jae Crowder and Cam Johnson. It’s slipped into seventh place in the Western Conference, just a game ahead of the ninth-place Warriors.
“To avoid falling further in the West, the Suns will have to win some games against the East. Their six-game trip concludes in New York and Cleveland, and they’ll play two more games against the East upon returning home.”
Phoenix Suns Top Stories
Suns Need to Exercise Caution With Devin Booker’s Return
Report: Cam Johnson Still Limited to Non-Contact Drills
Three New Year’s Resolutions for the Phoenix Suns
NBA Insider: Trading With Suns Is Difficult
.