Do the Suns have a Grayson Allen problem following Rockets loss?

Apr 2, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen (8) discusses a call with referee Aaron Smith (51) during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns suffer its worst loss of the season, blowing a 21-point lead to former teammate, now rival Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets. After an explosive first quarter, the franchise came out flat for the final three quarters and looked outmatch. A clear shift in the game happened when head coach Jordan Ott went to the bench with the foursome of Royce O’Neale, Oso Ighodaro, Collin Gillespie and Grayson Allen.

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The group of players had a plus/minus of -16 or worse, while four other starters were in the positive in a 14-point loss. Allen has been leader of the second unit for the past two seasons, with his elite scoring, but it might not be time for a change after recent cold stretch.

Suns bench unit struggling:

In three of his last six games, the 30-year-old has been a -16 or worse. Phoenix is getting run off the court when Allen is on the floor. The team is getting players back in the lineup following injuries, making the adjustment of all rotations players challenging. Allen himself has been in and out of the lineup with various injuries this season.

Regardless, on the season, the Suns are a +4.4 with Allen off the floor and -0.3 on. The team’s defensive rating becomes nearly 4.0 points worse with him on the court. Usually, the eight-year pro has been on of the best shooters in the NBA, surpassing 40% from 3 four times in his career, which made his defensive shortcomings manageable.

However, his 35.1% from 3 is the worst since his rookie season. Allen is taking a considerable more amount of attempts, going from 5.5 to 9 three-point attempts per game, which explains why his percentage would take a hit. And he is being trusted to be the team’s main ballhandler when the starters head to the bench.

Last season, Allen was running .9 ball screens a game. A year later that number has jumped to 4.7, the third-most on the team behind Jalen Green and Devin Booker. The change has allowed more opportunities to score, leading to a career high in points at a 16.7 average.

When Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, Mark Williams or Devin Booker was out of the lineup, that was a stable offense because the team was desperate for points in any way. Now that all those players are back and replacement starters move back to the bench role, the offense has become all out of sync, while the defense remains a problem.

A bench unit of O’Neale, Gillespie, O’Neale and Ighodaro is too small of a lineup to throw out against playoff teams. On Tuesday, Houston has 24 offensive rebounds because players like 6’1 Gillespie, 6’3 Allen and 6’6 O’Neale are expected to play bigger than their height and defensive capability, which isn’t stable against good teams.

Phoenix has only been healthy for three games, but in those matchup, its defensive rating ranks 22nd at 119.5. Allen isn’t solely to blame, but when Ott is forced to figure out a solution, the combo guard will be the one most effected by the change.

A solution could have Gillespie run more pick and rolls with the second unit, have Allen play off ball. The rim pressure Gillespie and Ighadaro can cause will open up the perimeter for Allen to find his shot and get more space to operate. Defensively could be simply moving O’Neale to the starting lineup and having Jordan Goodwin be an anchor for the second unit or having a player like Rasheer Fleming step up.

Fleming is 6’9 and has truly been special in his minutes for the past month. According to DataBllr, in 410 non-leverage minutes, his offensive rating is 123.8 and defensive rating is 111.9 for a net rating of +12.0. Fleming has soared into one of the team’s most dynamic defenders. His seven-foot wingspan could help negate some of Allen or Gillespie’s defensive weaknesses.

The Suns have plenty of offensive firepower to sacrifice some shooting to ensure a more competent defensive attack. Ott has often been forced to run three-guard lineups because of the personnel available. Limiting those lineups game-to-game could solve plenty of the defensive problems.

The offense will come, and Allen’s shooting number will return to high 30 to low 40%. Decreasing the number of ball screens and increasing the amount of off-ball actions could be the answer to returning to that form. When Allen is shooting like that, it opens the floor for bench players like Gillespie, O’Neale, Ighodaro, Goodwin and others to play freely on and off ball.

Allen is part of the solution for the Suns recent losing streak, but the team will need to adjust to his strengths and weaknesses as the playoffs approach in a couple of weeks.

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Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports