The Phoenix Suns went on an overhaul in the offseason as they let go of Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton to add a myriad of role players like Eric Gordon, Jusuf Nurkic and Grayson Allen, and star guard Bradley Beal. It was a decision questioned by a ton of pundits because the Suns were less talented due to these moves, but the franchise was given the benefit of the doubt because of the sheer star power led by Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
After their painful loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas Day, Phoenix has dropped below .500 and to 11th place in the Western Conference. It has been very evident that head coach Frank Vogel needs to implement immediate changes on their squad, but their flexibility has been a massive question mark. Allen, Gordon, and Nurkic are 3rd-5th in minutes played for the Suns, and that is not a recipe for success, especially going up against the Denver Nuggets or Los Angeles Clippers in the postseason.
With less than a week left before the start of the new year, Vogel must ponder on cutting down the minutes of one of their offensive-minded players.
Eric Gordon
Eric Gordon has always been a reliable scorer throughout his NBA career as he has tallied double-digit averages in every season. He has also adjusted to various roles as his responsibilities have varied depending on the surrounding pieces.
In his 16th year in The Association, Gordon decided to choose the organization that gives him the best chance to win a championship, but that has not been the case so far.
Due to the lingering injuries of Beal, Gordon has been tasked to play 31.5 MPG a night, which is far from what he expected when he signed with Phoenix. Moreover, Vogel has been forced to run with lineups that are offensive-centric because of the lack of personnel that can thrive on the defensive end of the floor. Gordon has been open to having a lower usage rate as his career has progressed, but his defensive capabilities continue to be a cause for concern.
Since they have Durant, Booker, and even Allen to handle the scoring, Vogel can lessen Gordon's minutes to around 23-25 MPG and give it to athletic and versatile individuals like Keita Bates-Diop or Yuta Watanabe. As one-third of the 2023-24 NBA regular season has almost passed, it would not hurt to experiment with Bates-Diop or Watanabe earning more minutes as they are likely more willing to persevere and bang on the defensive end of the floor.
These two aforementioned individuals are also younger than Gordon, so they have the endurance to keep up with the other teams' youth on a given night. Moreover, Bates-Diop and Watanabe are also adequate corner spot-up shooters or off-ball cutters, so they would not be a liability on the offensive side of the court.
Even with Gordon's incredible shooting prowess, it would be smarter to utilize him in a sixth-man role as the spitfire guard off the bench.
Also, the extensive injury history of Gordon cannot be taken for granted, so the toll on his 35-year-old body can come back to hunt them at the latter juncture of the season.
It would be smart not to overuse Gordon and manufacture ways to become a more balanced and unpredictable team. Yes, their roster construction is questionable which forced them to sign a slew of minimum guys. But Vogel has proved he can create ways to unlock underrated guys, such as Alex Caruso and Lance Stephenson in the past.