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We are finally here. The NBA is back and the Phoenix Suns roster looks just a bit different from a season ago. While Devin Booker is still leading things, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal are on the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers respectively, and the Suns roster is much younger and inexperienced than a season ago.
After finishing 36-46 a season ago, optimism is littered around the Suns after they changed up a lot of the roster and are taking a different, more patient approach to team building than they have in recent seasons.
Despite the optimism in the fan base, the Suns are projected to win fewer games than they did a season ago, according to FanDuel Sportsbook’s regular season win total odds. Their win/loss total is set at 30.5, a far cry from the 47.5 line from a season ago.
Two weeks ago, we asked you all what the Suns’ win ceiling is, but maybe the better, more practical question regarding assessing the team is, will they finish with a better record than they did last year?
Sure, from the outside, the team appears to be more unified than it was a season ago, and there’s some much-needed new personnel and plans in place in the Valley, but last year’s team had Kevin Durant, and this one doesn’t.
For as much of a mess as the Suns were a season ago, they were an above-average team when Durant played, going 33-29 in his 62 games, and 3-17 in the matchups he missed. Some of the team’s newest contributors are inexperienced in their new roles, and young players like Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming and Ryan Dunn are inevitably going to have growing pains.
Most Western Conference teams made moves to strengthen their cores and be even more competitive than they were last year. The San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trailblazers, two teams that finished behind the Suns in the standings, made moves signaling their desire to compete this year, while the Valley got rid of three of their starters from a season ago. Inevitably, a few teams will have injury problems that will derail their seasons, and with the Suns not owning their own pick this year, they have an incentive to try and win every game, but will it equate to a better record than last year? Tell us why or why not in the comments.
