Annually for the past 25 years, the NBA has anonymously surveyed general managers with a range of questions (48!) focused on rating teams, front offices, coaches, and players. This provides good insight into what the league’s decision-makers really think. Results published earlier this week.
For this audience of hardcore Suns fans, I will view it through the lens of what it implies for team perception and where there are opportunities to appear more prominently if this was completed again at the end
of the upcoming season.
Team Rankings
Phoenix did not receive any top 4 votes for “Who will win the 2027 NBA Finals?”. Points are awarded based on each GM’s 1-4 rank and then aggregated. Total points are sorted to provide a conference ranking. In order:
- Spurs
- Thunder
- Timberwolves
- Nuggets
- Rockets
- Lakers
- Trail Blazers
The Suns did not receive any top 4 votes. This team definitely has the potential to pass each of the teams ranked 3-7 if everything falls right.
Front Office
The team struck out on this set of questions, which included best overall moves, most improved team, biggest impact acquisition, and most underrated acquisition. If Miles Bridges plays fully up to his potential, adding defensive and playmaking chops to scoring ability and athleticism, he could make a notable difference for the Suns when compared to last year with Royce O’Neale filling that starting spot.
What caught my eye: 15 players mentioned as the most underrated acquisition, and none of those were Luke Kennard. The preseason has teased the well-rounded skill set he brings to go along with sniper-level long-range shooting. Getting up 10 threes in one preseason game suggests he may do that on some level of volume. I wrote in September about how important Kennard will be in balancing long-range shooting on the left side of the court. There is a tangible likelihood he ends up being one of the 15 most underrated NBA moves, especially on that $6 million contract.
Coaching
The good news: Jordan Ott received votes for both “runs the best offense” and “has the best defensive schemes”. However, he did not get votes for best head coach. Similarly, Ott was absent from the categories of “best manager/motivator” and “best in-game adjustments”. In year two, these are both areas I could see improvement. Pushing the right buttons emotionally and with game tactics could bump up the Suns’ win total and catapult him into future top coach discussions.
Players
The majority of the survey’s questions relate to players. The game is played on the court, and it’s a player’s league! It’s completely fair that no Suns were mentioned for some categories like MVP. Here are the ones where I feel consideration should have been given and could certainly be earned:
- Most likely to have a breakout season: Mostly young developing players among the 19 mentioned. Khaman Maulauch certainly has a chance with playing time available. He’s likely still a year away, but maybe…
- Best shooting guard: Zero mentions of Devin Booker? Get that 3-point shot back, win a few playoff games, and he’s right there. He’s also not listed among the top point guards, for what it’s worth.
- Most versatile defender: Dillon Brooks effectively defends point guards to power forwards, and with an edge.
- Best at moving off the ball: Booker is elite at this when he gets a chance to play off-ball.
In just a few days, any member of the Suns that felt like they should have appeared on these lists will have a whole season to prove the GMs wrong. As highlighted above, there are many candidates. 82+ games to find out, and I can’t wait to watch it materialize on the court.
