The optimism in the Valley goes beyond just the organization. Yes, Suns Owner Mat Ishbia, has been tooting the horn of the energy and effort he sees the team having this season, but Phoenix Suns fans think
the team will do better this year than they did a season ago, despite trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets and leaning into a younger roster.
Last year’s team, one draped in expectations, finished with a final record of 36-46. They missed the Play-In entirely.
So what does the Phoenix Suns community expect from the 2025-26 team? Will they win more games than last year? 70% believe the answer to that question is yes.
Even if I don’t agree with it, I’m not surprised that most Suns fans think that they will finish with a better record than their 36-46 record from a season ago, but I am surprised by how many think so.
The odds appear stacked against the Valley. According to FanDuel Sports Book, Phoenix’s over/under is set at 30.5 games, which means that the Suns would have to go over their win total by 6.5 games. That’s a lot.
Additionally, the Suns leaned into a youth movement this offseason. In their first few games, they’ve leaned on Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro significantly more than they did to begin last season. Mark Williams’ role will only expand when he gets healthier, and Jalen Green will have the ball in his hands a lot when he returns. The team has a lot of new and young players in different roles than they’re experienced in, which may cause the team to struggle, especially early, as the team builds continuity.
Jordan Ott is in his first year with the team and his first as a head coach; it should be expected that, like the new and young players, he will have growing pains too. The Western Conference is a blood bath. The Suns got walloped by the Los Angeles Clippers last night, and now head to Denver for today’s game against Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets, who are coming off a thrilling overtime loss to Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors; they’re sure to be playing with some extra fire looking for their first win of the season.
While the Suns underperformed last season, they were 33-29 when Durant played, meaning they were 3-17 when he didn’t. To win in the Western Conference, you need a lot of firepower, and unless some of the young players take major leaps this season, it’s hard to expect the Suns to win more games than they did a season ago.
Before the year, I saw the Suns winning the same amount of games as they did last season, despite losing Durant, but after seeing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander casually go for 55 Thursday, and Victor Wembanyama follow up a 40-point, 15 rebound game with a 29 piece to go along with nine blocks, I think the Suns are looking less likely to win more games than they did last year, even if the year is considered a success by the end of it.
