Phoenix Suns: It may be time to panic about the struggling, short-handed Suns

After a strong start to the season, the Phoenix Suns have taken a big tumble down the Western Conference standings. Is it time to panic?

On December 1, the Phoenix Suns, at 15-6, had the best record in the Western Conference and the third-best record in the league overall. It seemed as if all the offseason noise was simply that – noise. The Suns looked like a contender once again and the hope was that they could get back to where they were two seasons ago, when they fell two wins short of a championship.

However, in the last month, something strange has happened with the Suns. They’ve essentially been the opposite of the team they were during the first 21 games of the season. Since Dec 1, the Suns are just 5-12. They have taken a tumble down the West standings, falling from sitting in the No. 1 spot all the way down to No. 8.

They’re only three games out of a top 3 seed but with the way the team has played recently, there’s not a ton to feel good about. In the last month, the Suns have losses to the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, and New York Knicks. With all due respect to those teams, those are not games that the Suns should be losing.

Nevertheless, you can’t help but wonder, which Suns team is the one we should expect to see during the latter portion of the season? Is this team more the 15-6 version of itself or the 5-12 version? That’s the big question.

What’s at the heart of the Phoenix Suns issue?

This is a good question; what’s at the center of the team’s struggles? That’s hard to pinpoint. But let’s take a look at the numbers.

As you would expect, when the Suns were rolling, all the stats suggested that they were one of the best teams in the league. During their 15-6 run, the Suns had the second-best offense, sixth-best defense, and second-best net rating.

In the last 17 games, it’s the team’s defense that has really taken a huge dip. Sure, their offense has struggled – they’re ranked 13th. But going from the sixth-best defense to the fifth-worst is quite the difference.

It’s hard to win many games when you have one of the worst defenses in the league – no matter how good your offense is.

Devin Booker’s injury hasn’t helped. Neither has Chris Paul’s overall offensive efficiency issues. The Cam Johnson injury also complicated things. But the next few weeks will be extremely telling for this team.

If the Suns can’t recover during the month of January, you can’t help but wonder may be awaiting this team in February at the NBA Trade Deadline.