NBA Season Preview 2019-20: Every team’s biggest question

Phoenix Suns: Can they play defense?

This one is almost laughably simple. After four straight increasingly putrid seasons on the defensive end of the court, can the Suns finally scrape together an NBA-caliber defense?

Much of the responsibility rests on the shoulders of Phoenix’s two franchise players, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. While both are uniquely talented scorers in their own rights, they share a weakness in how they nearly give it all back on the other end of the court. In terms of D-PIPM, Booker was the worst defender in basketball at -3.3 — worse than even the much-maligned Trae Young — while Ayton’s -0.3 ranked worse than poorly regarded centers like Jahlil Okafor and Kenneth Faried. As the two players who stand to see the most minutes on the roster this season, both need to improve drastically if the Suns are going to get stops.

There are some pieces in place to help, at least. New acquisitions Aron Baynes and Ricky Rubio are standout defenders at their respective positions, and alongside second-year forward Mikal Bridges, they form the beginnings of a defensive framework that the Suns can build upon. If the newly re-signed Kelly Oubre Jr. can achieve some of his 3-and-D potential, Phoenix will be close to finding some legitimately viable defensive lineups.

The Suns have more talent than you might think, given their notoriously poor performance in recent seasons. Unfortunately, contending for the playoffs in the Western Conference demands more. If the Suns really want to make a run at a playoff berth, they’re going to have to make some serious improvements to one of the worst defenses in the entire NBA. If they can’t, they might wind up near the bottom of the pile once again.