si
Phoenix — The Phoenix Suns returned home reeling from a disastrous regular-season start, having been thoroughly outplayed by the Portland Trail Blazers in Wednesday night's season opener.
Fortunately, the organization has two days to regroup before hosting the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, giving head coach Jordan Ott ample time to diagnose the issues and chart a path forward.
Overreactions are inevitable, and it's fair to note that this is just one game in an 82-game campaign. Last year's squad began 1-4 before finding its rhythm.
Nevertheless, three significant questions emerge from the loss in Portland: How crucial is Luke Kennard? How can the Suns stabilize the center position? And what will Miles Bridges become?
Just How Important is Luke Kennard?
The Suns are betting on replacing the three-point production of Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale with stars stepping up, improved paint play for offensive balance, and the addition of Kennard. Kennard, who sat out the opener, led the NBA in three-point accuracy last season, albeit on limited volume. Phoenix hoped his attempts would rise after signing him in free agency, helping the team maintain its status as one of the league's top three-point shooting squads.
Without Kennard, the Suns shot below 20% from beyond the arc and struggled to generate any offensive flow. Newcomer Miles Bridges isn't renowned for his deep shooting, and Phoenix's perimeter options are limited without Kennard. The question looms: how vital is Kennard to Ott's plan to attack from deep? While the entire team had a poor shooting night, it's clear the Suns need Kennard to replicate his 47.8% success rate from three (2025-26) to win the NBA's coveted "math game" of shot selection.
How Do Suns Steady The Ship at Center?
Phoenix is without Mark Williams for the foreseeable future, thrusting Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach into prominent roles down low while hoping their starting center returns soon from a shoulder injury. However, Ighodaro is now dealing with a right hip ailment, and Maluach was unimpressive in the opener. If Ighodaro misses time, Phoenix will lean on Maluach and Duop Reath as their primary options at the five.
The team's depth at center has taken a major hit, as evidenced against Portland. The Suns surrendered 20 first-quarter rebounds and were outrebounded 56-39 overall, including 16 offensive boards by the Trail Blazers. Injuries are a factor, but how will Ott navigate the upcoming schedule to address this glaring hole? Maluach clearly needs time and patience to develop, which would be fine if he weren't already counted on for such a significant role. Phoenix cannot afford to be bullied in the paint as they were on Wednesday, and while not all issues point to center, it's a major question mark Ott must tackle.
What's Miles Bridges Going to Be?
This summer, the Suns sent arguably their best available future draft pick to the Charlotte Hornets for Miles Bridges in a trade that also shipped out Allen and O'Neale. Phoenix sought an upgrade at power forward and more physical play. That was a risk that won't be fully evaluated until season's end, but the one-game sample left much to be desired. Bridges scored eight points on 3-of-11 shooting with four rebounds in 29 minutes.
The upside for Bridges was supposed to bring a bully-ball approach to the desert. Instead, he was anything but that on Wednesday, appearing more as a bystander than the force he needs to be to justify his price tag. So, what will Bridges become? Will he assert himself and help Phoenix improve on last season's 45 wins? Or will he be a regrettable move that might not even result in an extension in Phoenix?