Why the Phoenix Suns aren’t worried at the halfway point،
Few can do it better than Frank Vogel with a straight face. Jaw clenched, mouth turned down at the corners exuding both impassivity and determination. The constant concentration of gentle eyes.
In May 2019, Vogel displayed legendary stoicism the day he was introduced as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Earlier today, Magic Johnson went on ESPN and torched management after suddenly leaving his role as team president. And if that wasn't enough, Vogel sat and listened to questions from reporters about whether he was at least the third choice for the job to replace Luke Walton.
Not once did Vogel show a hint of concern, instead referring to his notes about his plan to build a defense-oriented team and insisting he would help build a winning team. He approached the work in the same way: discreet and voluntary. He stayed calm and built a defense that was the best in the league.
Things weren't going well for the Lakers at first. But Vogel was confident they would arrive in time.
In his first season, which was ultimately derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, he led the Lakers to their 17th championship. While accepting the Larry O'Brien Trophy a few months later after beating the Miami Heat in the bubble, Vogel said simply, “We have a doctorate in adversity.”
Last week, this time wearing the colors of the Phoenix Suns for his first season as coach, Vogel's face was back in all its glory. The Suns were beaten by the LA Clippers 139-111 to fall to 19-18 with a team loaded with three potential Hall of Famers – Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal – and the win-now-or-big kind. the pressure of problems that comes with the “superteam” nickname.
“We remain confident,” Vogel said Jan. 8 after the Clippers game, with no doubt about a team where things were once again not going well. “It's a long season. It's going to take time.”
The Suns won their third straight game Tuesday night with a stunning 22-point fourth-quarter comeback against the Sacramento Kings. They are 7-3 since Beal returned from an ankle injury Dec. 29 and started showing his teeth.
Beal, Booker and Durant have only played nine of 40 games together. Various absences and injuries to key supporting players Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen and Eric Gordon have hampered any continuity for a team made up of 13 new players and a new coaching staff.
It's too early to say that the promising team that quickly rebuilt itself last year to become a top-tier colossus has turned the corner. But Vogel's signature disposition is emblematic of how the Suns have approached this season.
“We don't try to worry too much about who we're playing and [are focused on] “We're working on ourselves,” Booker said Jan. 11. “We have a lot to work on.”
It's true, the Suns have their problems. After ranking in the top seven on defense in each of the last three seasons, they have languished in the bottom half of the league all season. A number of the role players they recruited to become 3 and D floor spacers have struggled at times to do both.
They were the worst team in the NBA in the fourth quarter. Even after Tuesday's rally against the Kings improved their numbers, the Suns ranked last on defense in the final 12 minutes of the game and were outscored by 14.8 points per 100 possessions in the fourth quarter – last by a mile .
From Vogel and the stars to the actors, there was a spirit of problem-solving.
After the loss to the Clippers, the Suns had two days off in Los Angeles and spent them working: coaches meeting and players working on film and practicing. They came back and throttled the Lakers 127-109 for perhaps their most complete game of the season as Beal looked sharp with a season-high 37 points. The team's atmosphere was electric, an indication of their intent.
Beal, even though his season was disrupted by back and ankle injuries that forced him to miss time three times, helped keep morale high.
“Brad always has good vibes,” Booker said. “To keep this in the middle of [struggles], it takes a lot. I can not do it. He keeps the morale of the team high.”
So, even though the record and numbers haven't always been promising, there's a feeling that it's only a matter of time for the Suns.
Beal is averaging 20 points and shooting 53% in the 10 games since his return. His arrival allowed Booker, who shouldered a huge burden as a point guard, to shift some of those duties. As expected, having Beal on the court made it much easier for the Suns to generate open shots. Over the last 10 games, Durant is shooting 48% from 3-point range and Allen feasts on open looks, shooting 52% from deep in that span.
Vogel is tinkering with the lineups, trying to change the substitution patterns of his stars so that the fourth quarter problem can be alleviated. Against the Kings, he deployed a lineup including Durant at center in the fourth quarter with Gordon as an extra guard. The Kings weren't able to handle that and outscored 32-8 in the final 8:22.
Meanwhile, the Suns' roster of Durant, Booker, Allen, Gordon and Nurkic has the best defensive rating of any group in the NBA this season having played more than 100 minutes together, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Time and time again, the pieces were proven to be there for a special team. Figuring out how to put them together is the mission.
“Coach has a good understanding of who we are as a team,” Durant said. We're still working, man. Come back to work the next day. Keep figuring it out.”
On the surface, the Suns may still seem underwhelming given their talent and championship expectations. There's no doubt they're fragile – they sit in eighth place in the Western Conference. And without proven depth to help weather the Big Three's injuries, there's no guarantee it will ultimately lead to the title the franchise has been chasing for decades.
But just looking at the surface could be a mistake. Real progress is starting to happen and the group still doesn't have much time to truly work as a unit.
And Durant, Booker and Beal have the unwavering confidence of their coach.
“I trust these guys,” Vogel said. “We have a team that can win.”
