Photo via Yahoo Sports

It’s going to take a team effort for the Phoenix Suns to fix their rebounding issues

The Phoenix Suns’ playoff hopes hinge on addressing a glaring weakness: rebounding. After a surprising first-round appearance last season, the team struggled in the postseason when Mark Williams—its leading rebounder and defensive anchor—missed critical games due to injury.

Without Williams, the Suns relied on second-year forward Oso Ighodaro and limited contributions from Khaman Malauch, exposing their lack of depth on the boards. Larger, more physical teams, including Houston, exploited this vulnerability, sweeping the Suns in a regular-season series and setting a concerning precedent for the playoffs ahead.

With opponents like the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Los Angeles Lakers featuring dominant big men, the Suns must find a way to close out defensive possessions or risk falling behind in transition-heavy games. Their identity as a fast-paced, three-point-reliant team could backfire if they continue to surrender offensive rebounds in crunch time, where a single possession can decide a series.

Head coach Jordan Ott returns for a second stint with the challenge of integrating new talent while optimizing the scoring potential of Devin Booker and Jalen Green, but the rebounding issue remains a team-wide priority—not just a problem for one player or scheme.

Up nextNBA· 40m ago

Pablo Torre ‘looking into’ LeBron James’ helicopter benefits from Michael Rubin