There's a Grand Canyon-sized gap between the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder right now, but if a few things go their way and the necessary adjustments are made, the Suns could narrow that gap.
Less Oso, more Khaman
This is a bad matchup for Oso Ighodaro, who's scored seven total points and has shot 27.3% from the field on 11 attempts (basically all at the rim). As a smaller center with a limited offensive skillset, the Thunder are taking advantage of him. The problem is, there aren't any golden opportunities for the Suns besides him.
The easy one to point out is Khaman Malauch, who was a team-best +10 in 19 minutes in the 13-point Game 2 loss. That +/- is no coincidence; the Suns got killed in Oso's minutes (a team-worst -23), and Khaman provided more of what they needed at the 5 with his paint presence.
Honestly, Malauch is not ready for this moment, and he's going to make mistakes, but he's still not as exploitable as Oso is. He can't be relied on, but he's likely their best option, and the upside is still there.
Rasheer Fleming is getting some brutal rookie treatment from Jordan Ott, but it's obvious what the 6' 9" forward could provide for the Suns in this matchup. It's a lot to ask an inexperienced rookie second-round pick to play crucial playoff minutes, but he's proven time and time again that he's ready.
At this point, there's nothing to lose. Ryan Dunn's minutes have been bad, as he's returned to his unconfident ways. The Suns can easily replace his minutes with Fleming. Even some of the center minutes could be replaced by Fleming, who's a much more viable option as a small-ball 5 than anyone else on the roster.
As much as the Suns need Collin Gillespie to step up, he hasn't, and maybe that means it's time to go with other options. He looked better in Game 2, moving the ball and affecting the game in other ways, but the scoring and sharp-shooting still isn't there, and without that, he's just not dynamic enough of a player.
Jordan Ott has yet to call Amir Coffey's name, who is a veteran, 6' 7" wing that's had some good moments with the Suns in limited minutes this season. He could absolutely provide the veteran balance they need to fill in some of those minutes and provide some more size without giving up too much shooting.
Devin Booker, averaging 22.5 points in the playoffs so far, ranks 3rd on the Suns in FGA (31), behind Dillon Brooks (45) and Jalen Green (39).
That's unacceptable. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. As much as the Thunder are making it difficult for Booker, he needs to be more aggressive in finding his shot and not deferring to his teammates.
As great as Dillon Brooks was in Game 2, that's exactly what OKC wants. They want to force players other than Devin Booker to beat them, and Book and the Suns are playing right into their hands. Brooks is at his best when he's not the team's leading offensive option, too.
Part of this is on head coach Jordan Ott, too. With as few options as he has, he still needs to try lineups that make life easier for Book. Oso, being a non-threat out of the pick-and-roll, has crippled Book's ability to find good looks, which is another main reason why Maluach becomes a better option at the 5.
It's also on Jalen Green, who simply needs to be better. He saved the Suns' season in the play-in, but has fallen back to awful inefficiency, shooting 35.9% from the field on 19.5 attempts and 20.0% from 3 on 7.5 attempts. If he can just get back to a semblance of what he was in the play-in, it opens up so much for Book and the Suns.
Above all, the Suns need to get healthy. It's already an improbable feat to take down the defending champs, but it becomes nearly impossible if they don't have all the weapons at their disposal.
Grayson Allen, Jordan Goodwin, and Mark Williams would all probably be playing 30+ minutes each game if the Suns were healthy, and it's hard to ask the Suns to just replace that, matched up against the best team in the NBA.
If the Suns get their guys back for these two upcoming home games and OKC's Jalen Williams is also forced to miss time, things can get a lot more interesting. Add in some adjustments, some energized play in front of the home crowd, and some better performances from Jalen Green and the role players, and the Suns have a great shot at beating this Thunder team.