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The Play-In game against the Portland Trail Blazers was a tough loss, but was it unexpected? All of us Suns fans were optimistic going into the game and the Suns definitely could have won. It wasn’t a blowout and came down to the final possession. But the Suns didn’t pull it out in the end, and along the way, they gave up 41 points to Deni Avdija, just two points shy of his career high.
Deni spent the most time in the game being guarded by Jordan Goodwin. In the six minutes that Goodwin, the shortest player in the Suns’ starting lineup, was guarding Deni Avdija, the Trail Blazers’ star was held to just 1-of-3 from the field. Portland as a whole scored 25 total points in those minutes.
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The tallest non-center in the starting lineup, Dillon Brooks, guarded Avdija for the second most amount of time. In the three minutes Brooks was guarding him, Avdija scored 14 points on 75% shooting from the field. Portland also scored 25 total points in those minutes.
Jordan Goodwin was the best defensive forward on the court against Deni Avdija last night, and Goodie is almost half a foot shorter than him.
The Phoenix Suns are just too small and every Suns fan knows it. The guys who are almost tall enough to compete with the elite forwards of the NBA just aren’t good enough to compensate for the size disadvantage. There has not been a reliable power forward option on this team all season, and Phoenix is paying the price.
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Even before the season began, the power forward weakness was known. On October 9th, 2025, thirteen days before the Suns tipped off the season, Bright Side Managing Editor John Voita wrote this:
“Among the biggest question marks is the power forward position.
No matter how you view it, the Suns appear either undersized or underskilled at that spot. Ryan Dunn lacks the size to battle with the league’s elite forwards. Royce O’Neale, Nigel Hayes-Davis, and Dillon Brooks fit the same mold. Oso Ighodaro brings energy and intelligence, but his offensive game remains raw. If you are identifying a weak link in the lineup, power forward stands out before any other position.”
If I had…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/deni-avdija-breakout-night-exposed-230000368.html
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Publish date : 2026-04-15 23:00:00
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