The Phoenix Suns are far and away from the days of Steve Nash, Mike D’Antoni and the ‘seven seconds or less’ offense. The dazzling passes of Nash, thunderous dunks from Amar’e Stoudemire and sharpshooting of some talented players on the wing has been something of the past for about a decade now and there’s no strong sign of that other than Nash’s recent induction to the Hall of Fame. But how far are the Suns from returning back to the postseason? Well, let’s just say it might be a while. But they have some hope.
Since Phoenix’s controversial Western Conference Finals series back in 2010, the team has found themselves out of the playoff picture and comfortably in the draft lottery. The 48-34 season back in 2013-14 appears to be nothing but an anomaly in the Suns recent run of losing, but the franchise has something to look forward to with their young talent.
Under new head coach Igor Kokoskov, the Suns head into training camp with only four players who have more than five years of NBA experience. Three of them, Trevor Ariza, Ryan Anderson and Darrell Arthur, were acquired this offseason and the Suns have had Tyson Chandler on the trade block seemingly since they signed him. Outside of Ariza and Anderson, the veterans might not play much on this team. All eyes are on the young studs, headlined by Devin Booker.
Booker signed a max extension this summer and proceeded to undergo hand surgery shortly after. Phoenix is betting on Booker, a player who marvels with his offensive ability though still has a lot of questions defensively. But it’s a start. They tried their hand at acquiring some top-tier talent when LaMarcus Aldridge was a free agent and Kyrie Irving was available for trade but they struck out both times. All signs are pointing to the Phoenix Suns leaning on the youth to carry them forward.
Phoenix’s draft history has been hit or miss, to say the least. The first round picks they’ve selected since 2011 have delivered varied results. Markieff Morris, Kendall Marshall, Tyler Ennis, Alex Len and Marquese Chriss are all no longer with the team. Some picks are not even in the NBA, despite all being picked in the top 20. They traded away the rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic before he even suited up for an NBA game.
Meanwhile, TJ Warren has proven to be a starting caliber forward, Dragan Bender has shown some flashes (but the clock is ticking on him) and Josh Jackson is showing a ton of promise as a potential two-way wingman. The rookie trio of 10th overall pick Mikal Bridges, number one overall pick Deandre Ayton and second-round guard Élie Okobo have many thinking Phoenix won the 2018 NBA draft. But it’s Jackson and Ayton that have some fans in Phoenix hoping they could fill out a Suns big three alongside Booker.
It’s unlikely the Suns will be any kind of major threat this season to the league. They should be buried towards the bottom of the Western Conference standings but the roster brings hope for the future.
Phoenix has a notable hole in their lineup as it’s currently projected. They don’t have a starting quality point guard on the roster and they’ve reportedly been in the hunt for one. Some draft experts ranked French guard Élie Okobo very high heading into the 2018 NBA Draft but no one really knows what kind of player he might be. Phoenix went from a team with four starting-level point guards just a few seasons ago to presumably having to start Devin Booker at point, a player who is not known very well for his play as a lead guard.
It is a season of unknowns and low expectations for the Suns. They spent the summer basically adding some young promising players in the draft and taking on some big money contracts while also ridding themselves of a couple of bad deals in the process. The contracts for Ariza and Chandler expire after this season and Anderson’s deal comes to a close following the 2019-2020 campaign if Phoenix doesn’t waive or trade him before then.
All eyes in the valley of the sun are set now on Devin Booker and the young talents along with him. With his big contract agreed to, can he take that next step towards superstar status? He’s known as a deadly three-point shooter but can he make strides both defensively and as a playmaker? There’s a ton of questions around their new big money star but it seems like Phoenix is willing to wait and see what happens with him.
The real sign of progress for the Suns will be seeing if Ayton, Jackson or even Bridges or Warren can make a leap and join Booker atop the Suns pecking order. It’s obvious to see why Ayton would be the favorite to be the perfect running man with Booker. A dominant, talented big man with some serious size could be exactly what Phoenix needs for their roster full of wings. If Jackson becomes a consistent shooter to pair with his defensive ability, if Mikal Bridges becomes a starting caliber wingman and if TJ Warren can mold his game to fit alongside Booker, we could see a serious playoff contender in Phoenix. Just don’t expect any of that to happen this season.
