Phoenix Suns Experiencing Offensive Woes

Following the trade deadline, the Phoenix Suns have gone 5-7 in 12 contests and the lack of offensive firepower has been the reason as of late.

Phoenix has dropped to 33-32 and are just one game above .500 for the first time since they were 15-14 on December 21, 2014. The Suns reached a season-high eight games over .500 at 28-20 on January 30, but have gone just 5-12 since.

At the trade deadline the Suns traded starting point guard Goran Dragic to the Miami Heat and backup point guar Isaiah Thomas to the Boston Celtics. Dragic was second on the team in scoring with 16.2 points per game and Thomas was third on the team in scoring with 15.2 points per game at the time of the trades.

The Suns knew that having to fill 31.4 points per game would be a difficult task and Brandon Knight, who was acquired from Milwaukee in the three-team deal that sent Thomas to Boston, has softened the blow a bit, but the offense is slacking nonetheless.

Knight was averaging 17.8 points, 5.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game with the Bucks, but has seen each of those statistical categories drop since arriving in Phoenix. He has put up 14.4 points, 4.5 assists, 2.1 rebounds, and just 0.5 steals per game in Phoenix.

Not only are his overall statistics declining, but his shooting percentages have dropped from 43.5/40.9/88.1 to 37.6/34.4/85.2 in 10 games as a member of the Suns. Maybe it has just been a rough transition period for the 23-year-old, but nonetheless his numbers are lower than the Suns’ front office was hoping for.

Feb 25, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight (3) shoots the ball during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. The Suns won 110-96. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Eric Bledsoe has enjoyed taking over the ball handling duties for the Suns since the trades however. In the 12 games without Dragic and Thomas cutting into his playing time, E-Bled has led team in scoring twice, tied for the team lead twice, and was one point behind a teammate for the team lead twice.

Bledsoe has averaged 33.4 minutes since the trades as well. In those extended minutes he is putting up very solid numbers across the board with 15.2 points, 5.8 assists, 6.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 0.7 blocks. His field goal percentage and three-point percentage have both gone up since the trades as he has hit 48 percent of his field goals and 40 percent of his threes since February 19.

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Phoenix ranks third in the NBA in points per game with 104.9, but has seen their consistent offense fluctuate in the past six games.

The offensive struggles began against the San Antonio Spurs in which the Suns posted 13, 11, and 17 points respectively in the first three quarters to enter the fourth quarter with a measly 41 points. Phoenix shot 8-for-43 in the first half for a grand 18.6 percent.

The 24 points the Suns scored in the first half was a franchise-worst for an individual half of basketball. The previous franchise-low for points in a full game was 68 points and if it weren’t for a 33-point fourth quarter for Phoenix, the Suns would have made more history. Phoenix finished the game with a 29.8 percentage from the field.

Phoenix would score under 100 points for the second consecutive game in their next contest against Dragic and the Miami Heat. The bench unit shot 25 percent and the team as a whole was seven-for-31 from beyond the three point line.

The Suns broke free in their next two games against lowly Eastern Conference opponents in the likes of the Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets with a pair of victories. Phoenix shot 46.8 percent and 42.9 percent respectively in the contests in which they rallied back to win in both games.

The offensive woes returned against the Cleveland Cavaliers however. The Suns put up 79 points against the Cavaliers and shot 35.7 percent from the field. Bledsoe and Knight both struggled as well as Bledsoe had seven points 3-12 shooting and Knight had 10 points on 4-12 shooting.