Phoenix Suns Lack Of Defense Is Killing Playoff Hopes

Dec 12, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) drives on Phoenix Suns forward Marcus Morris (15) and Eric Bledsoe (2) during the first quarter at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

The Phoenix Suns loss to the Detroit Pistons on Friday extended their losing streak to four games and dropped their record to 12-12.  This is most certainly a team that the Suns should be able to beat, especially if they intend to contend for a playoff spot in the Western conference.

The Phoenix Suns struggled to stop a Pistons offense ranked just 29th in scoring. An offense the Suns held to just 85 points in mid-November.

So what in the world would cause the Suns to lose to arguably the worst team in The Association? On Friday,  it was the lack of defense that was the issue once again.

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It has already been mentioned how bad the Pistons offense was coming into the game, but the Suns still managed to allow them to score 100 points.  In fact, the Suns are not strangers to allowing other teams to score.  In their 24 games this season, the Suns have allowed 100 or more points 16 times. The 2-20 Philadelphia 76er’s have only managed to allow a hundo 14 times this season.

The lack of defense can be attributed to an inability to control the glass.  The Phoenix Suns are routinely outrebounded by their opponent.  They rank just 26th in the NBA in rebounding differential (-2.8) giving up an average of 44.8 rebounds while cleaning up just 42.0.

The best rebounder in the front court is Markeiff Morris, who averages just 6.5 per game. Thats good (or Bad) enough ro rnak 52nd in the NBA.

The Suns lack of defensive presence down low was a something they hoped they could correct with the development of their tandem of big men Miles Plumlee and Alex Len.  Neither has been able to contribute much on the defensive end leaving head coach Jeff Hornacek to find creative ways to solve the defensive dilemma.

It’s true that the Western Conference is an offensive league, but in order to truly compete for a championship, the Suns are going to have to come up with a stop when they need one.  If they are unable to do that against the 29th ranked offense in the NBA, its difficult to imagine them being able to pull it off against the Western Conference elite.

There are a number of options on the trade market that could solve the problem.  The Phoenix Suns could use their depth at point guard to acquire more of a two-way player down low. Question is can they hang on long enough to pull the trigger on a deal?