The Phoenix Suns have a center problem

This is not based on a four-game sample size. It’s not to pile on an easy target after a rough game, either. It’s the stark reality of a Suns’ center rotation that cannot be relied upon on a nightly basis. Sound familiar?

There will be no sugarcoating here. The Phoenix Suns have a center problem.

I wrote about it this offseason before the games began. A lot of those concerns have carried over into the games early on this season.

While the four-game sample size has been mostly rough, getting swept last season leaves a sour taste in Suns fans’ mouths. Those trends have continued to limit how the Suns can play against certain teams as we saw Monday night.

Seeing that leak into the new season is concerning, but ultimately a tip of the cap to Mike Budenholzer for making adjustments early, which is an encouraging sign. It’s not all doom and gloom for a 3-1 team that could very easily be 4-0 right now.

Nurkic had two points (1-6 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 0-1 FT), four rebounds, and two blocks across 15 minutes during Monday’s win over the Lakers. He had a nightmare outing, and the Suns struggled whenever he was on the floor. Veteran center Mason Plumlee played 26 minutes as a result.

The Phoenix Suns have a +41.9 advanced net rating when Jusuf Nurkic isn’t on the court.

*On (in 86 minutes) 96.3 OffRtg, 114.9 DefRtg = -18.6 NetRtg
*Off (in 111 minutes) 121.1 OffRtg, 97.8 DefRtg = +23.3 NetRtg

That statistic is mindblowing. This one below felt worse from the eye test on Monday night. Plus-minus doesn’t always feel accurate, but it sure did in this instance.

Glaring stat of the first half, as many have pointed out:

Jusuf Nurkic: -21 in 10 minutes
Mason Plumlee: + 23 in 14 minutes

— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) October 29, 2024

The Phoenix Suns need their centers to do these three things:

*Play hard (Hustle, Box Out, Rebound)
*Limit mistakes (Finish at the rim, Limit turnovers)
*Not be a defensive liability (try & communicate)

This is the bare minimum for a center with this group. Keeping it simple goes a long way. Mason Plumlee did exactly that in his minutes during the win against the Lakers, and it’s why he got the nod over Nurkic.

It was great to see Coach Bud make adjustments this early into the season, realizing the obvious issue against the Lakers. It’s not a great matchup for Nurkic.

Mike Budenholzer on going with Mason Plumlee over Jusuf Nurkic in the 2nd half: "There's different versions of going with the hot hand. Defensively, energy and all those things, I thought Mason had a really big, positive impact on the game, so we kind of rolled with him" pic.twitter.com/A3jJ0S8TzU

— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) October 29, 2024

So far, the starting lineup has been a disaster relative to the rest of their most-used lineups. This is damning. Yes, I know it’s a limited sample size, but I don’t care. The starting lineup cannot be this bad. That is glaring.

The 5 most used lineups for the Suns so far. All of them have an absurdly high net rating…except the one that starts. pic.twitter.com/FIYo0yfCAP

— Mike Vigil (@protectedpick) October 29, 2024

Big Picture

The Phoenix Suns have one goal in mind, and that’s winning an NBA Championship. Mat Ishbia and company have made it abundantly clear that they are all-in on this team and there is no consolation prize.

Can Jusuf Nurkic be that guy in a playoff setting? I’m not there, and there is zero evidence to suggest that to be the case based on his track record in the postseason.

Phoenix either needs to add another center they can trust to give them a different look to complement Nurkic or move on entirely. There is no perfect center out there that the Suns can add to fit all of their needs. The second apron truly limits some of their options, so they’ll have to get creative.

Devin Booker says the team will rally around him, as we expect from him since he is a classy teammate. That said, winning cures all. If his struggles cost the Suns games regularly that tone can change quick.

"We're with him."

Devin Booker says the Suns will rally around Jusuf Nurkic. pic.twitter.com/wT5OuMU5NJ

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) October 29, 2024

Nurkic should bounce back and have strong stretches in the regular season as he did last season. He has shown has is capable of impacting winning basketball when he is on, and that cannot be dismissed. The problem is you just don’t know which nights those will be and if he can close out games for you.

When you cycle back to the main point, those are not the ingredients for a championship center. Mason Plumlee and Oso Ighodaro will need to be ready to go in the meantime because their opportunities will come.