NBA Phoenix Suns

Miles Plumlee Has Been Phoenix Suns’ Most Disappointing Player This Season

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By @fanforlife1988

Miles Plumlee, Phoenix Suns

Getty Images Sport – Christian Peterson

The Phoenix Suns were an afterthought heading into last season, but they surprised nearly everyone by finishing with a 48-34 record under first-year head coach Jeff Hornacek. With raised expectations this year, the team has not performed nearly as well as they did last season. With the addition of Isaiah Thomas to a backcourt which already features Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Gerald Green, plus increased roles for Markieff and Marcus Morris, the player who has benefited least has been starting center Miles Plumlee. Like the Suns, Plumlee did not have any real expectations heading into last season, but after a breakout year, and being one of the major reasons why the team performed so well, his role and production have decreased with the overall performance of the team.

Despite seeing nearly the same amount of floor time as he did last season at 22 minutes per-game, Plumlee’s overall production has still declined. Plumlee has gone from averaging nine points and eight rebounds on six shot attempts a night during last season, to just five points and under six rebounds on less than five shots per game so far this year. While his efficiency is still there with a field goal percentage of 53.8%, which is higher than last year, his presence isn’t nearly what it was. In addition, second-year center Alex Len is threatening to take the role of starter away from Plumlee, as his size and overall promise internally within the organization make him more valuable long term to the Suns.

In his last five games, Plumlee has scored just 18 points, taking a total of 14 shots. Plumlee has also seen his playing time in the last three games fall to 14 minutes against the Houston Rockets, 18 against the Los Angeles Clippers and 19 against the Miami Heat – all losses for the Suns. This stretch of five games comes after Plumlee went 6/6 with 12 points in 25 minutes against the Orlando Magic.

While Plumlee is not an NBA All Star by any means, he has proven to be a viable starter, capable of anchoring a team in the paint, as evidenced by last year’s coming out party in Phoenix. But like the team itself Plumlee has regressed to a non-factor for a team which is increasingly looking like it will miss the playoffs again this season.

Hornacek must turn it around fast in Phoenix, as the Oklahoma City Thunder have both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook back in the fold and the Suns cannot afford to flatline this early. Utilizing Plumlee, especially with three highly capable point guards on the roster, can help the Suns get more easy baskets in the paint, as 86.5% of his shots already come from within 10 feet of the hoop.

The Suns came into this season a different team than last. With higher expectations and a year of growth for their core, the team expected to improve upon last year. But somewhere along the line, the Suns forgot some of the what made them good. Finding a way to utilize Plumlee the way they did last season would be a great start in the right direction.

Zach Fetaru is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @fanforlife1988 ”like him” on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.

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