I’m SHOCKED and IMPRESSED by the Phoenix Suns…

I’m SHOCKED and IMPRESSED by the Phoenix Suns…

There are very few teams in the NBA so far this season that have surprised me more than the Phoenix Suns who are now 11 and six, winners of eight of their last nine, and really have just found a way to play really solid, complete team basketball so far this year. They are a testament to how valuable chemistry can be. And while there are some real question marks about this team going forward, and I think those are going to be worth addressing in this video, I’m impressed. I’m very impressed. Dylan Brooks has found a spot where it feels like he belongs. Devin Booker, uh, easily the best player on this team. Back to being the 1A option in Denver. And most importantly, honestly, for this team, before we get into any other players and talk about anything else, the culture has clearly dramatically changed so far this year, this season. And that’s not something that I’m going to put any specific blame on anybody, be it Frank Mogul or Kevin Durant or Bradley Beal or anybody else. I don’t think it’s really worth doing that. All I can say is that with total confidence, this team is a completely different team than they were last season, even if they are on paper less talented. Their production has been much more improved, and it’s been pretty impressive to watch so far this year. Um, again, 11 and six. They’re like the five or six seed in the West right now. Let’s see, where are they seated? They’re the six seed in the West. And honestly, they’re playing really good. Now, I’m going to be completely honest. I’m not fully sold this is something that lasts. I think when you look at the West, the Thunder are better, the Lakers are better, the Nuggets are better, the Rockets are better, the Spurs are better, the Timberwolves are better for sure. And honestly, Golden State fully healthy maybe. Uh outside of that, everybody else in the West, to be honest, has their flaws pretty clearly. But while I think the Suns might be a playoff team and are absolutely exceeding expectations, I do think you also have to temper your expectations a little bit. This isn’t a team that likely is going to come in here and compete for a title. The thing is going into the season, I think there were discussions of could this team be like a bottom two or bottom three team in the entire Western Conference. And so being a team that looks like a serious playoff team and a legitimately good basketball team is extremely valuable. They had a ridiculous comeback in the final minute against the Timberwolves a couple of nights ago. I think they were the first team in an extremely long time to come back down by eight uh in regulation and win the game in regulation. down by eight in the last minute of the game and win the game. They just never give up so far this year and it’s it’s a testament to this team as a whole in all honesty and and how well-rounded and how versatile and how aggressive and athletic and physical this team really can be. And obviously it starts with Deon Booker, but I’m not going to sit here and say he’s playing unbelievably good. I mean, the efficiency is solid. 54% almost from two-point range is good, but only a 33% three-point shooter again has not been absolutely ridiculous in that area by any means. Um I I would be a little concerned about certain injury stuff going on with this team, but Grayson Allen has been really good for them so far. He has elevated his game. He’s averaging 18 and a half a game, shooting 45% from three. Dylan Brooks is averaging 21 a game, shooting 16 shots a game. Very efficient from two-point range, but not that great from three. That concerns me. That is really high volume. Dylan Brooks stuff, but Royce O’Neal shooting the crap out of the ball. That’s not new. 43% on 7.4 attempts, though, is extremely impressive. Colin Gillespie in by far the biggest role of his career so far this season, shooting 40% from three. Ryan Dunn providing some of that defense and competitiveness while shooting 34% so far. Jordan Goodwin, speaking of defense, competitiveness, energy, that’s exactly what he provides. And also shooting well from three. Jaylen Green’s only played in a couple games, but he has the potential to definitely be the second option on this team on a night-to-ight basis. I think and I have to say I kind of like the big man duo of Mark Richards or Mark Williams and Nick Richards so far this year. I’d like to see more common Malawatch. He’s a guy who I think is eventually going to be a really important key piece to this rotation and to this roster. At least you would hope he would be. Um will that be this year though? I guess we’ll see. You know what I mean? I’m not I’m not sold that that’s going to happen this year at this point. But at the same time, man, I I feel more hope about this team than I expected to. That that’s I think the best way to put it. There’s definitely hope for the future. And that hope unfortunately is a little bit tempered by the lack of draft picks. You can’t It’s hard to talk about the Sun’s future without addressing that. You know what I mean? Because as much as the vibes are great right now, it’s going to get tough to get better. You know what I mean? You’re going to have to build through free agency. you’re going to have to build through smart fringe moves. And the problem is at the end of the day, they don’t fully own another one of their first round picks that doesn’t either fully go to another team or have some sort of pick swap minutia attached until 2032. That’s obscene. They do not own their 27 pick. They do not own their 20. Actually, they they do own their 29 pick, but there’s a but there’s a bunch of pick swap rights on that. Do they even have a 29 pick? Actually, I’m not I think they will. Uh, but they don’t own their 2031 pick as well. Like, there is there is just a lot of outgoing draft assets for a team that clearly isn’t really in a position to s be super great. That being said, if Mark Williams can stay healthy, I think he could be a huge addition to this team. A guy who can play on this team for a long time, be a real contributor. Uh, Jordan Goodwin looks like a real NBA role player, especially if he continues to shoot the three ball well. Dylan Brooks, I’m sorry, everywhere he goes, and I know he’s a frustrating player. He’s one of those guys that I think if he’s not on your team, it’s easy to hate him. and he’s one of those guys you almost love to hate. But one thing you can confidently say about him is wherever he goes, those teams are going to play defense. He is absolutely a guy who in a lot of ways leads by example on the defensive end of the court, competes every single night, does not care if people don’t like him. And you know what? I can respect that. Even if I personally don’t love Dylan Brooks, I can respect the heck out of that play style and that competitiveness. And honestly, that is something that has kind of extended throughout this entire roster this year. If you’re not playing hard in the Suns, you’re probably not playing period is kind of what it has looked like so far this year. And behind one of the best guards in in in the NBA and Devin Booker still, this is a team that on a night basis is absolutely going to consistently come out here and be competitive. I mean, the numbers don’t lie. So far this season, 10th in offensive rating, not bad at all. Uh defensive rating, they’re seventh again, just playing really competitive basketball all the way around. 10th in net rating as well. Like that is super duper solid stuff. And it’s not at all, I think, where a lot of us expected that the Suns would be this year. I mean, I certainly didn’t. I legitimately thought this team would probably be better than maybe the Jazz and the Kings going into the year. And that was kind of about it. Um, you know what, the Pelicans have been terrible. The Mavs have been pretty terrible. The Clippers, besides Harden, have been pretty terrible. The East or the West has kind of opened up with a lot of these teams. Obviously, Memphis with a lot of injury issues and John Marant drama. The Trailblazers look not great in all honesty and they don’t have a stud number one option like the like the Suns do in Devin Booker. They feel like a playoff team right now with the way the West is shaped up. They feel like a legitimate playoff team. And that to me is a very successful season for what I expected of this team especially. And I have to give them credit. One area where I think they’ve really impressed so far this year, they’ve shot the ball really well. 38.3% for three, fourth in the league. They’re shooting uh in terms of three-pointers attempted, the ninth most threes in basketball. So, they’re shooting a good amount of threes and shooting them at a very efficient percentage. I think has been a huge part of this team’s offensive progress. Defensively though, it’s just they’re a pack of hyenas, averaging 10.7 steals a game, second in the league only to the Thunder. They are a competitive, fast, physical, aggressive defensive team, and that is paying dividends right now. And here’s the honest truth. That’s how a roster that with the exception of Devin Booker, doesn’t have a ton of huge name stud players, now again, a lot of good role players, but that’s how a roster that on paper might be a little underpowered compared to a lot of these other top Western Conference teams, is going to compete on a nighttoight basis is by out physicaling, out hustling, out aggressing other teams. And the Suns have done a beautiful job of that so far this year. Again, do I wonder about the sustainability against top teams in the West? Yes. Is this much better than was expected from the Suns this year? and I think serves as potentially a building block for the future and potentially some real pieces to a core as well coming together. I actually think so. It’s definitely better than last year. Last year was a disaster in so many ways. And so I think the Suns are going in the right direction. Will it last? We’ll see. But I hope y’all did enjoy the video and nonetheless, if you did, make sure you hit that like button, leave a comment, and subscribe. I’ll be back with more NBA content very, very soon. I appreciate y’all. base.

In this video I talked about how Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns have defied expectations so far this year behind a transformed culture and uber competitive roster, and how they look like a legit playoff team in the 25-26 NBA Season! If you enjoy the video make sure to like and subscribe for more great NBA content!

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