Two Preseason Games, Two Losses, and the Turnover Problem the Suns Can't Wave Off

The Phoenix Suns have played two preseason games and lost both, and while nobody hangs a banner for October basketball, the way they lost has handed Jordan Ott's staff a very specific item for the film room. Phoenix dropped its opener in Detroit, 109-107, in a game the recaps described as the Suns showing plenty before giving it all back. One night later in Chicago, the story repeated itself in a 124-117 loss, and the headline out of the United Center was blunt: turnovers remain a problem.

That's the through-line of the week in Phoenix. The Suns showed the version of themselves they want to be — physical, active hands, aggressive on the offensive glass and in transition — and then watched possessions slip away through careless ball security and a shaky night at the free-throw line. Against the Bulls specifically, the concern wasn't the talent on the floor; it was the focus. Turnovers are the kind of problem that gets exposed hardest once the games start counting, because Western Conference opponents convert them into transition points faster than a preseason roster does.

The more consequential development, though, is happening away from the box score. The Suns learned in September that starting center Mark Williams tore his labrum in a scrimmage and required shoulder surgery, a timeline that could keep him out until at least the All-Star break. Phoenix responded by signing center Duop Reath to a one-year deal, and the starting job has become an open competition between Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach. Ott has publicly framed it as a genuine opportunity rather than a placeholder battle. The upside is developmental; the downside is that a team already carrying limited flexibility now has to survive months without the big man it was counting on to anchor the interior.

How much does that matter? Consider last season's foundation. The Suns went 45-37 and reached the first round of the playoffs, posting a plus-1.5 point differential. Devin Booker averaged 26.1 points and 6.0 assists across 64 games, missing time with both an ankle sprain and a hip strain. Jalen Green, the other half of the backcourt experiment, managed just 32 games at 17.75 points per game while battling hamstring trouble. Dillon Brooks chipped in 20.2 points per game across 56 appearances. The roster's margin for error was always thin, and the health questions around its top two guards haven't gone away.

The market's read reflects that uncertainty. BetMGM's season win total for Phoenix sits at 40.5, a number below last year's actual 45 wins, and the championship odds are priced at 15,000-to-1. The make-the-playoffs side carries a -120 price, with missing the postseason at +100 — essentially a coin flip from the sportsbook's vantage point. The power-rating models are even less forgiving: Phoenix checks in at 18th with a -0.895 neutral-field rating, down several spots on the week and trending in the wrong direction.

There's a genuinely interesting wrinkle on the positive side of the ledger. Ott leaned on an unorthodox three-guard look against Detroit that observers flagged as potentially devastating, a wrinkle worth watching because it lets Phoenix play fast and mask some of its size issues. Miles Bridges, meanwhile, gave everyone a scare with an ankle injury in Chicago before early indications suggested it wasn't as serious as feared — a relief for a team that cannot afford another extended absence.

None of this is fatal in October. Preseason results get forgotten by Thanksgiving, and the Suns' core rotation has shown real flashes on both ends. But the week delivered two clear signals: Phoenix can hang with anyone when it's locked in, and it has not yet solved the turnover habit or the hole in the middle. For a team in Year 2 under Ott, with a win total that requires beating last season's pace, both of those items will decide whether this is a step forward or another first-round exit.