The Phoenix Suns are running out of chances to save their season, and they blew another opportunity early on Sunday at the Los Angeles Lakers. The 107-96 defeat a bad place to start, made worse by the manner of the defeat. Kevin Durant struggled to get into a groove while role players such as Royce O’Neale and Tyus Jones had really bad days at the office.
There was a single bright spot in Ryan Dunn – who we recently argued should get more run – and he gave it everything he had as he started for the team. His enthusiasm in attempting to guard Luka Doncic was nowhere near enough though, as he registered his seventh straight game in scoring over 30 points against the Suns.
Phoenix turned to a player for first time this season in the loss.
This was another game in which head coach Mike Budenholzer’s rotations were confusing to follow. While it was nice to see Dunn start – and although Bradley Beal leaving with a hamstring injury didn’t help – Bol Bol again found himself glued to the bench. A strange u-turn, given he had been starting games in the last few weeks prior to once again sitting in the win over the Sacramento Kings.
It got so bad out there defensively that Doncic was caught while mic’d up giving this group perhaps the harshest criticism of all, with the prospect of making the play-in tournament looking as unlikely as ever. It did get marginally better for a small portion of this game however, as the Suns were able to give Cody Martin his debut for the franchise.
First points in a Suns jersey for Cody Martin and it's a 3-pt play ❗️ pic.twitter.com/5CMVkfYGwO
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 16, 2025
Martin came over from the Charlotte Hornets in a deal that sent Josh Okogie way prior to the deadline, but had been out of action since then with a sports hernia. This had forced him to look on as Nick Richards – he teammate in Charlotte – also joined The Valley and had much more of an impact as the starting center.
Martin only managed eight minutes in this one, but the tenacity he brought – on the defensive end in particular – stood out next to the pedestrian play of most of his teammates. The fact he grabbed six boards during this time highlighted this, while Martin appeared more than up for the challange of attempting to guard Doncic or whoever else he was switched onto.
Luka Doncic’s last 5 games vs the Suns btw: pic.twitter.com/wnGN3sDOuH
— Real Sports (@realapp_) March 16, 2025
This season has already been lost, but the play of Martin might be something to try and salvage any kind of positivity. Next year will be the final of his current deal, and so as things stand he may yet be back in Phoenix. Should that happen you have to think he’s a part of the rotation, and the second unit could do with his kind of play on a nightly basis.
We’ve already seen with the likes of Dunn and even Collin Gillespie that playing hard alone will not be enough. The rotation needs veterans who actually care though – and although Martin is not a great 3-point shooter and has never been a statistical game-changer either – he at least represents another look that the Suns can use next to their star players.
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