The wonderful, wild, and worrisome from the Phoenix Suns’ November

A look into the Valley’s first full month of the season.

November of 2024 was an interesting one for the Phoenix Suns. They started it red hot, winning their first four games of the month, then Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal got hurt and lost five in a row and ended the month winning two of three, including impressive victories over the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.

I now present you with the wonderful, wild, and worrisome from the team’s 7-7 November.

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The Wonderful

It is safe to say Tyus Jones was as good as advertised, maybe even better

It was consensus that Tyus Jones was a massive addition for the Suns this offseason, but he’s exceeding expectations, especially as a scorer. For the month, he averaged 12.2 points per game on 47% shooting from the field and 40.5% from three. He’s not turning the ball over like usual and is giving the big three a break from ball-handling duties.

Even playing alongside Booker, Beal, and Durant, he’s averaging his career’s second-most points and assists per game. Still having not missed a game all season, Jones’ presence has helped Phoenix organize their offense in the final minutes of contests and throughout games.

The Rookies Continue to show promise on defense

Both Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro have continued to show promise. While Dunn’s sharp shooting from the start of the season has fizzled down, his defensive chops continue to be on display.

With injuries impacting the team’s rotations, Ighodaro has been given opportunities to show off his clamps, swatting shots and being a presence in the interior.

The Wild

Bol Bol’s limited minutes

After being resigned this past offseason, it seemed like Bol Bol was suited for more playing time than a season ago. Instead, he’s played in just five games so far, averaging four minutes when he does play.

For all healthy players, he’s averaging the least amount of minutes per game. He hasn’t even appeared in some garbage time minutes, as he didn’t play at all in the Valley’s routing of the Lakers on Tuesday. In his limited playing time this year, he’s averaging three points, one rebound and 0.2 assists per game. It will be interesting to see if his minutes continue to be limited as the season goes on.

A chance to be 3-1 in the Emirates Cup and not go to the knockout round

With wins against the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers, the Phoenix Suns are 2-1 in the Emirates Cup. However, if the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Jazz on Tuesday, independent of the outcome of the Suns’ game against the Spurs on Tuesday, they will need help to get in to the knockout round.

For more on the Suns NBA Cup scenarios:

The Worrisome

Injuries are still a thing

Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal both missed at least six games in November. Their injuries were a main reason the team lost five-straight games in the middle of the month. It’s gotten to the point where health has to be factored into every conversation about the team’s ceiling. Their stars aren’t getting any younger, which likely means they’re not getting any healthier as well.

They’re not the first star studded team to have this reality, but it’s not an ideal one to have to deal with for any team.

Jusuf Nurkić continues to struggle

The Boznian beast is averaging his least amount of points per game since he was traded to Portland eight seasons ago. He’s been inefficient from the field, and on more than one occasion, has been played off the court against faster, more athletic bigs.

With limited roster flexibility he may be their best option at center for the season. If the Suns want to contend this season, Nurkić has to play better. At the very least, if he can start to knock down more triples at a consistent rate, something he has worked at doing, the team will be in better shape when he’s on the court.

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Now off to December hoops!