Week 20 arrived at the perfect time for the Phoenix Suns.
This is a team that had been searching for traction. The numbers tell the story. Phoenix had not posted a positive net rating in five weeks. The last time it happened was Week 15 when they sat at +2.8. Since then, the stretch looked rough. Week 16 at -0.1. Week 17 at -28.7. Week 18 at -14.4. Week 19 at -9.1.
Injuries played a large role in that slide. The roster has taken hits across the rotation, forcing Phoenix to lean heavily on younger players
and redistribute minutes to guys now operating outside their usual roles.
So yes, Week 20 was needed.
This was a stretch where the Suns realistically could have finished 4–0. Had it not been for a lethargic performance against the Chicago Bulls, Phoenix would have walked away undefeated. That is basketball. Some nights, you steal a game that had no business landing in the win column. Other nights, you drop one that felt secure. Over the long arc of a season, the truth usually reveals itself. Good teams rise. Bad teams fade.
And even with the injuries piling up and the rotations shifting almost nightly, the Suns continue to show that they belong in the group of teams capable of rising.
The Suns sit at 37–27 following their Week 20 performance. They remain two games back of the sixth seed in the Western Conference, although they are only three games away from the third seed. With 18 games remaining on the schedule, the standings can shift quickly. All it takes is one team catching fire and another team cooling off for the picture to change.
That creates an interesting opportunity for Phoenix. The conversation can begin drifting away from the Play-In discussion and toward the postseason itself. That is where the real intrigue begins, when you start looking up the standings rather than over your shoulder. The Suns are positioned well enough to think that way. The teams currently sitting in eighth through tenth place are clustered tightly together. The Golden State Warriors hold a one-game lead on the Los Angeles Clippers, while the Clippers sit one game ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Phoenix, meanwhile, stands 4.5 games clear of that group. That cushion provides breathing room, although the real opportunity lies ahead of them. With a strong final stretch, the Suns can shift the focus away from Play-In scenarios and toward the question that matters far more in the long run. Who might they face when the postseason begins?
Standings aside, this was a refreshing week for Phoenix. The best-case scenario continues to quietly unfold. Injuries are never something a team hopes for, although they have opened the door for something valuable. Opportunity. Opportunity to evaluate the youth movement that Phoenix has been slowly trying to cultivate. And this past week, the young players responded.
Khaman Maluach averaged 17.4 minutes across his three appearances. In that time, he scored 3.3 points on 62.5% shooting, grabbed 5.7 rebounds, and averaged 2.3 blocks per game. The stat line is modest offensively, although the defensive impact and the activity around the rim continue to stand out.
Then there is Rasheer Fleming.
In four games this week, he averaged 8.8 points on 65% shooting, including 60% from beyond the arc. That number carries weight when you realize he attempted 15 three-pointers during that stretch. He also added four rebounds per game while playing 15.8 minutes a night.
So Week 20 became a productive one for Phoenix. The Suns finished 3–1, the rookies received real run, and they rewarded the opportunity with strong play. Phoenix still has work to do. The climb out of the Play-In conversation will require continued effort over the final stretch of the season. The hope is that reinforcements begin returning soon. Jordan Goodwin could be back this week. Mark Williams may be another week or two away. Dillon Brooks still appears to be three to four weeks from returning.
March might represent the turning point. The Suns are trying to regain health, stabilize the rotation, and continue developing their young players at the same time. If those paths meet at the right moment, the final stretch of the season could become very interesting for Phoenix.
Week 20 Record: 3-1
@ Sacramento Kings, W, 114-103
- Possession Differential: +1.6
- Turnover Differential: +5
- Offensive Rebounding Differential: +8
The Suns looked like they were trying to jumpstart themselves, and ultimately they had the ability to do so. Phoenix outscored Sacramento 68-45 over the second and third quarters, and that was enough to get the win.
vs. Chicago Bulls, L, 105-103
- Possession Differential: +2.6
- Turnover Differential: +2
- Offensive Rebounding Differential: +5
Same script as the game against the Kings, but the Suns couldn’t get jump-started. They had a late run, but it was too little, too late. It wasn’t the worst loss of the season, but it may be the most lethargic.
vs. New Orleans Pelicans, W, 118-116
- Possession Differential: +1.2
- Turnover Differential: -2
- Offensive Rebounding Differential: -1
Phoenix was in control the majority of the game, but the Pelicans made it quite uncomfortable in the end. It took a record number of three-pointers attempted — 58 by the Suns — to beat New Orleans by 2 points. Time will tell whether that is concerning.
vs. Charlotte Hornets, W, 111-99
- Possession Differential: -6.2
- Turnover Differential: -5
- Offensive Rebounding Differential: -3
Well, this was a nice little surprise, wasn’t it? The Suns closed out the week with a win over one of the hottest teams in the NBA. How? 3o points and 10 assists from Devin Booker, 24 points from both Collin Gillespie and Jalen Green, and a 16-point performance from rookie Rasheer Fleming. And same damn good defense.
Inside the Possession Game
- Weekly Possession Differential: -0.8
- Weekly Turnover Differential: 0
- Offensive Rebounding Differential: +6
- Year-to-Date Over/Under .500: +10
The first thing I notice when looking at this week’s graph is that pink line. The Suns are sitting 10 games over .500 to close out the week. It is only the second time this season we have finished a week that high, with Week 15 being the only other instance.
Take a look at that pink line. It hasn’t dipped below the .500 mark since Week 2. This team has been at .500 or better since November 8. They spent a total of 7 games under the water this entire season. I hope we appreciate that. I really do.
We are talking about a team that Vegas pegged for 30.5 wins. We are talking about a franchise that spent 37 games looking up at the .500 mark just one season ago. The scars from those years don’t just vanish, but this is how you heal them. We are focused on a postseason push, and that is exactly where our energy should be.
But I want to pause and appreciate the fact that we are even in this position. We have a team that is fighting to win. We have a roster that isn’t finding creative ways to lose anymore. There is hope. There is progression. There is a core.
The Suns finally started cleaning up the glass this week, and the results speak for themselves. A 3-1 stretch is exactly the kind of “get right” week this team needed. While the possession game slipped a bit, you have to look at this Phoenix defense to see the real story.
Even with the roster currently held together by bandages and spare parts, this group posted a 109.9 defensive rating over the last four games. When you couple that grit with the way the ball is moving, it’s clear something is clicking. Their 68.8% assist percentage was 7th 7th-best in the league this week. It is proof that Jordan Ott’s system is cerebral and, more importantly, transferable. It doesn’t matter who is on the floor, the identity remains.
Of course, it didn’t hurt that the schedule-makers tossed the Kings, Bulls, and Pelicans our way. You play who is in front of you, but beating up on the basement dwellers is a requirement for any team with playoff ambitions.
Week 21 Preview
And so begins the road trip.
The Phoenix Suns hit the road for a 10-day stretch that includes six games and two back-to-backs. Week 21 features the first three stops along that journey, thankfully without the back-to-backs arriving yet. It starts tomorrow night when Phoenix travels to face the Milwaukee Bucks.
Milwaukee is a team floating somewhere in the middle of the Eastern Conference sea. They have not played well for long stretches this season, which explains why they currently sit in 11th place and outside the Play-In picture looking up. Giannis Antetokounmpo is back on the floor for them, which always changes the temperature of a game. How long he continues playing before the organization considers shutting him down is something only time will answer.
The Bucks rank in the bottom third of the league in offensive rating, defensive rating, and net rating. On paper, that suggests an opportunity for Phoenix. Still, Milwaukee carries size across its lineup, and size has a way of bothering the Suns when it begins to crowd the paint.
Next on the schedule are the Indiana Pacers, who currently hold the worst record in the Eastern Conference. Phoenix handled Indiana earlier this season, winning by 35 points back in November. Since the All-Star break, the Pacers have not recorded a win and appear to be navigating a reset year while Tyrese Haliburton works through an Achilles injury.
The third stop sends Phoenix north to face the Toronto Raptors. If you are looking for an Eastern Conference team that resembles the Suns in some ways, Toronto fits that description. The Raptors have exceeded expectations this season and present a roster that values ball movement and care with possessions. They move the ball well, they limit mistakes, and they defend at a high level. Toronto currently sits with the eighth-best defensive rating in the NBA.
In other words, this stretch of the trip offers three very different challenges. Milwaukee brings size. Indiana brings opportunity. Toronto brings discipline.
