- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,208,952
- Reaction score
- 59
The 2025-26 Phoenix Suns were one of the pleasant surprises from across the NBA world, as they exceeded expectations by at least 10 games in the eyes of betting markets.
The 45-win campaign opened the door for general manager Brian Gregory to build off of the success around franchise player Devin Booker - but is Phoenix set to actually expand off of the platform that has been build over the last year?
The hierarchy of the Western Conference is going to be something that may take secondary focus to the East - as the former hasn't seen as much seismic activity happen amongst the member franchises. That doesn't mean that Phoenix's potential standing isn't crucial to the next 12 months of the franchise.
The top four teams feel relatively safe to proclaim at this time, although much can change between now and April of next year. For now, the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Denver Nuggets feel to be shoe-ins.
The next tier is much more challenging to figure out, as the Suns should be categorically placed in the same range as rivals such as the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers, although the impending addition of Miles Bridges will create a lack of clarity as far as how the personnel will patch together in year two of the Jordan Ott era.
Houston and Los Angeles should hold the upper hand over Phoenix at the moment, but neither has had an incredibly encouraging offseason despite making major swings for superstar talents over the last 18 months.
Phoenix and the Portland Trail Blazers will be tied together for the foreseeable future due to the latter securing a victory in April's play-in game, but Portland's offseason has been puzzling to say the least. The Blazers have traded for Ja Morant (creating even more of a logjam in the backcourt), hired Micah Nori to a one-year deal with a team option, and fully committed to an uneasy center rotation moving forward. It's entirely possible that the experiment that Portland GM Joe Cronin has attempted to formulate will completely backfire. Otherwise, the Golden State Warriors remain a high-floor, low-ceiling threat that has a chance as long as Stephen Curry is active.
The Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, and New Orleans Pelicans are in various stages of rebuild to cap everything off. None of these teams should be immediately threatening to the Suns.
All in all, it's likely a reasonable assumption to have the Suns somewhere between the six and eight seed at this time - the general continuity, Ott becoming more comfortable as the leader of the locker room, and potential for competitors to fall flat are all signs of encouragement for the Suns as the upcoming season inches closer.
Join The SunsRoundtable
Head over to the SunsRoundtable page and hit the "Join" button at the top of the page... it's completely FREE! You'll have the opportunity to engage with other Suns fans who live and breathe the team, share your thoughts on the organization, and more. If you're asked to sign up or download the Roundtable app... that's free too.
Kevin Hicks is a contributing writer to SunsRoundtable. He can be reached on X @khicks_21.
Continue reading...
The 45-win campaign opened the door for general manager Brian Gregory to build off of the success around franchise player Devin Booker - but is Phoenix set to actually expand off of the platform that has been build over the last year?
The hierarchy of the Western Conference is going to be something that may take secondary focus to the East - as the former hasn't seen as much seismic activity happen amongst the member franchises. That doesn't mean that Phoenix's potential standing isn't crucial to the next 12 months of the franchise.
The top four teams feel relatively safe to proclaim at this time, although much can change between now and April of next year. For now, the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Denver Nuggets feel to be shoe-ins.
The next tier is much more challenging to figure out, as the Suns should be categorically placed in the same range as rivals such as the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers, although the impending addition of Miles Bridges will create a lack of clarity as far as how the personnel will patch together in year two of the Jordan Ott era.
Houston and Los Angeles should hold the upper hand over Phoenix at the moment, but neither has had an incredibly encouraging offseason despite making major swings for superstar talents over the last 18 months.
Phoenix and the Portland Trail Blazers will be tied together for the foreseeable future due to the latter securing a victory in April's play-in game, but Portland's offseason has been puzzling to say the least. The Blazers have traded for Ja Morant (creating even more of a logjam in the backcourt), hired Micah Nori to a one-year deal with a team option, and fully committed to an uneasy center rotation moving forward. It's entirely possible that the experiment that Portland GM Joe Cronin has attempted to formulate will completely backfire. Otherwise, the Golden State Warriors remain a high-floor, low-ceiling threat that has a chance as long as Stephen Curry is active.
The Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, and New Orleans Pelicans are in various stages of rebuild to cap everything off. None of these teams should be immediately threatening to the Suns.
All in all, it's likely a reasonable assumption to have the Suns somewhere between the six and eight seed at this time - the general continuity, Ott becoming more comfortable as the leader of the locker room, and potential for competitors to fall flat are all signs of encouragement for the Suns as the upcoming season inches closer.
Join The SunsRoundtable
Head over to the SunsRoundtable page and hit the "Join" button at the top of the page... it's completely FREE! You'll have the opportunity to engage with other Suns fans who live and breathe the team, share your thoughts on the organization, and more. If you're asked to sign up or download the Roundtable app... that's free too.
Kevin Hicks is a contributing writer to SunsRoundtable. He can be reached on X @khicks_21.
Continue reading...
