I’m not an NBA aficionado — not by a long shot — but I love what I’m seeing from the Phoenix Suns. Here’s why.
I don’t consider myself a basketball savant. In fact, I rarely watch the NBA the way I used to when growing up. The game has become unwatchable. So many players treat defense as optional. Most players attempt a 3-pointer as soon as they get the basketball. There are way too many teams that play iso-ball. You have players like last year’s MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is a free-throw merchant, flopping all the time. I even wonder if players love the game.
I heard about the Phoenix Suns’ good vibes all offseason after trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets. Management hyped that up as a motto of this season. I decided to take a gander at the Suns this season, and I loved what I saw, so I wanted to write about them after watching three of their games.
The Suns are 9-6 in this young season. They are doing it with defense and balanced scoring. The opposite of what they did the last two seasons. They have brought in first-year head coach Jordan Ott.
Here’s the best part about the Suns: They can beat you with interior scoring, too. It’s refreshing, given today’s game’s focus on the 3-point shot. (Of course, the team hit its fair share of 3-pointers, too.)
The Suns don’t have to rely on Devin Booker to have a great night for them to have a chance to win. It could be anybody or everybody in a given game.
In their 127-110 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, six of their players scored in double figures. Royce O’Neale and Ryan Dunn were a point short of joining their six teammates in double figures.
That is where the Suns displayed unselfish basketball. They collected 24 assists in scoring 127 points. The ball was moving, and guys were executing their cuts, putting others in position to score. It evoked memories of what it used to be during the successful Steve Nash era. It’s how basketball is supposed to be.
It’s a credit to Suns general manager Brian Gregory and Ott for building a roster that can play that way every game. They have been committed to making sure this team would have guys who want to play for each other. They did that in getting guys like Mark Williams, Ryan Dunn, Jordan Goodwin, and Dillon Brooks. That’s a far cry from what it was during the failed Kevin Durant era.
Yes, Durant was productive. But something seemed off with him and his teammates, especially with Booker. The guys had to stand around and make sure Durant had the ball to be productive. It helped him, but it did not make others better. It did not result in many wins. It also resulted in plenty of misery. Then-Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer couldn’t do anything about it, which explained why he was fired after one forgettable season last year.
The Suns’ diving for loose balls was unheard of in the last two seasons. It’s been different this season. By playing defense, it sets up the offense, and then the guys play with pace. It goes together side by side.
Yes, this team is built around Booker, but it is predicated on a system that allows others to flourish. Arizona Sports 98.7’s Dan Bickley said it beautifully last week: the Suns are winning by spirit, camaraderie, and ambition, which are bringing out their talent.
To think they have been doing this without Jalen Green, who only played one game before he reaggravated his hamstring in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. If Green can come back this season and be healthy, he adds another dimension to this offense with his playmaking. The Suns can have their big 3, with each scoring 20 points a game, while role players contribute. Green’s presence certainly can have the Suns think about the possibilities of how good they can really be. They can have a long playoff run and reach the Western Conference Finals.
Sure, we are getting ahead of ourselves, but we can dream. Isn’t this why we watch sports?
The Suns certainly have the potential to do great things this year. Everyone hoped to be competitive so fans could be proud of them. They accomplished that. Soon, it will be about how far they can go.
They have a brutal 18-game stretch that starts with a home matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. They also play Durant’s Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Denver Nuggets next week. It will be interesting to see how they do. They are good enough to beat some good teams. It’s something the Suns fans can look forward to instead of dreading.
The potential is definitely there where there’s hope.
The Suns have now raised the bar for good vibes to how good they actually are. That’s why Suns fans can say the Suns are back.
