Lack of draft picks, limited cap space issues, and not enough top-end talent are a few of the main issues preventing the Phoenix Suns from building a roster that can hoist the franchise’s first-ever Larry O’Brien trophy…but those are things that, for the most part, the team can control, and they positioned themselves to be in. What they can’t control is what is budding in the Western Conference: a true rivalry.
As the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs continue to battle in the Western Conference
Finals, every Victor Wembanyama block, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander mid-range, and Dylan Harper assist is a reminder to the rest of the conference of how difficult it is going to be to compete with both teams. With both squads having top-end talent, youth, and a litany of assets, both teams have quickly asserted themselves as the best in the West, with the Thunder already winning the Finals last year.
Unless Khaman Maluach becomes Joel Embiid or the Suns find the next Nikola Jokić during a Taco Bell commercial in the second round, Phoenix is staring at not being a challenger to win the conference for the foreseeable future.
While the Dallas Mavericks have Cooper Flagg, the Utah Jazz have a top-two pick, and teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets either already have top-end talent or the ability to add some if they haven’t already, the Suns roster outside of Devin Booker looks to be more limited in the future, and that’s not even accounting for the fact that Booker has been an All-NBA player just once in the past four seasons. Many teams are much better suited to capitalize if the Thunder or Spurs have major injuries or a down season.
Perhaps if the Suns were in the Eastern Conference, or at least in a conference that didn’t employ five of the last six NBA MVPs, their long-term outlook would be different. Yes, both the East’s finalists, the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks have a litany of All-Stars, including Jalen Brunson, Donavan Mitchell, Karl-Anthony Towns and Evan Mobley, both rosters are older than the Thunder and Spurs’ are and most importantly, don’t employ players who have averaged 30 points per game or more in the past four years or a player that is so dominant, his nickname is “The Alien.”
No matter what era, whether there are eight or 30 teams in the league, winning requires teams to be well-rounded and to have an array of top-end talent. In this era of the Western Conference, where some of the youngest teams are already the best and are becoming the most experienced, the Phoenix Suns need to look themselves in the mirror and know that for them to be true contenders, something miraculous needs to happen to them.
