Despite having a potent-scoring "Big 3" composed of two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant and All-Stars Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, the Phoenix Suns find themselves down 2-0 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs.
Although the Suns aren't pushing the panic button, especially with Games 3 and 4 set to be played on their home floor, it's clear Phoenix has to make a huge adjustment given how their offense sputtered in the first two games of the series. One thing the Suns could do, according to three-time Sixth Man of the Year award winner Jamal Crawford , is start a legitimate point guard, Isaiah Thomas .
Suns need a point guard
All season, the Suns have operated without a steady and reliable floor general, instead relying on Booker and KD to handle the playmaking duties. While that may have been enough to give them a 49-33 record in the regular season, things drastically change in the postseason. Defenses tighten up and hone in on weaknesses, and Phoenix has a glaring one in their lack of a true point guard.
Enter Isaiah Thomas, who the Suns signed for the rest of the season a few weeks ago. While he may not be the same player he once was when he was an All-Star and a member of the All-NBA Second Team, Thomas still possesses the skills and experience needed to run an offense efficiently and give the Suns' "Big 3" more room to operate.
"I honestly think Isaiah Thomas would be good. They need a point guard. What's happening is, we know those guys can handle the ball, but I think it has taken too much, you know, wear and tear on their bodies to have to start the play and finish the play. I want Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant to shoot the ball," Crawford said on "The Pat McAfee Show."
Although some experts picked the Suns to prevail over the Timberwolves in this series, Minnesota is out to prove its ascension in the Western Conference is for real. Between its rugged defense and Phoenix's struggles on offense, this could become a short series.
"Minnesota is a good team. They're aggressive, and they're defensively trying to get at you; they have no fear. And you can see at times when the Suns aren't as connected. They need that point guard just to organize things," JC added. "They need somebody to guide, someone to organize and just conduct. It doesn't have to be the star with those guys, but he can star in his role while he's on the court."
Bring Beal off the bench
The numbers show that something is amiss with the Suns this postseason. Nobody outside of the "Big 3" is scoring in double figures. And even then, KD averages only 24.5 points, the lowest of his playoff career. Meanwhile, Beal averaged only 14.5 points per game in Games 1 and 2, while Booker shot 37.0 percent from the field.
All these numbers are enough for former Sixth Man of the Year winner Lou Williams to propose a change in the Suns' starting lineup come Game 3.
Former NBA forward Chandler Parsons also discussed Phoenix's situation and why the team is having difficulty starting in the first round.
"Brad Beal, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, they are phenomenal scorers, they can score in an array of ways. They've always had a point guard. They've always had someone to set up," Parsons said. "So now, this year, these are some of the best scoring wings that we have in the NBA, and we're trying to turn them into point guards. It's just not what they do. It's not what they've done their whole career to make them who they are."
Game 3 will be on Friday at the Footprint Center, and it remains to be seen if the Suns will make any adjustments at that point. NBA veterans see that what Phoenix is doing isn't working. The question is, do the Suns' decision-makers see that, too?
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