Kevin Durant’s Suns’ 4Q NET Rating Almost 7x Worse Than Pistons; Ranked Last in NBA

Tyler Conway@@jtylerconwayFeatured Columnist IVMarch 27, 2024

Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images

The Phoenix Suns have a major fourth quarter problem.

With just 10 games remaining in the 2023-24 season, the Suns have the worst fourth-quarter net rating in the NBA—and it’s not even particularly close. Phoenix is outscored by opponents by 14.1 points per 100 possessions, more than double the next-worst team (Miami Heat at -7.0) and nearly seven times worse than the lowly Detroit Pistons (-2.5).

In total, the Suns have been outscored by 217 points in the fourth quarter. By contrast, they’ve outscored their opponents by 427 points in the other three quarters combined.

Given Phoenix has three superstars in Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, the late-game failures are jarring and cause for concern. Crunch time is typically when superstars shine brightest.

The Suns’ struggles late in games likely come down to two overarching factors: chemistry and over-reliance on stars. Beal has been limited to just 43 games this season due to injury, and Booker has also sat out 14 games. It’s impossible for three players used to being the primary scorer to develop chemistry if they’re rarely on the floor together.

The Suns also built a top-heavy roster with little depth behind Durant, Booker and Beal. The likes of Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and Drew Eubanks are not going to be able to pick up the slack when one of the three stars is resting, injured or gassed from propping things up over the first three quarters.

This is a problem that will need to be fixed in the offseason, because there’s no realistic avenue for a turnaround at this late juncture.