The Phoenix Suns, helped immensely by Chris Paul, have had an impressive season marked by considerable improvement.
The Suns went from finishing 10th seed last season to being second in the west this season. They did this with important roster upgrades, including trading for Chris Paul and signing Jae Crowder. On top of that, the young players have all improved too. Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and DeAndre Ayton have all taken steps up on both sides of the ball.
The Suns currently have a 40-15 record and a +7.2 net rating. They have been one of the best teams in the NBA throughout the season and their play has been impressive on both sides of the ball. Posting a 115 offensive rating and 107.8 defensive rating, they make their presence felt on both ends.
Some still don't see them as championship contenders. This is their first year really playing at this level and that always grants skeptics, but their play this season has proven that the Suns deserve to be in championship consideration.
Why The Suns Can Win The West:
1. Versatility
As the Suns prepare for the playoffs, they know that any championship team needs the ability to be versatile on both ends. The Heat proved how important defensive versatility was last year with Bam Adebayo being able to switch or drop depending on what was needed. They made this work by having excellent defenders on the wing as well who could make life difficult for opposing scorers. Offensively, having shooters and scorers who can hurt teams in a variety of ways makes a team hard to guard and gives them a shot to go all the way.
The Suns have a lot of offensive versatility this year.
Chris Paul is one of the best pick and roll guards in history and he creates a lot of offense for the Suns through these actions. Devin Booker is one of the best isolation scorers in the NBA. They have a ton of spacing throughout the lineup and an excellent roll man with Ayton.
Defensively, the Suns have a lot of wings and it will allow them to run some really interesting line-ups. Jae Crowder, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Torrey Craig, and Abdel Nader are all capable wing defenders and they could run very switchable groups filled with wings.
2. Two-Way Equity
Winning on both sides of the ball is so important for winning a championship, something the Suns will be tested on this spring. Only one team since 2000 has won a championship while only being top 10 on one side of the ball, the 2001 LA Lakers. Every other team in that time frame have been elite teams on both sides of the ball.
The Suns have managed to create a really great team on both ends. The offense is versatile and built around the two guards, Booker and Paul, and the spacing around them. The pick and rolls run with Ayton are great offensive engines.
The defense is structured around impeccable perimeter defenders and versatility. Their two-way ability will help the Suns greatly in the playoffs.
3. Clutch Scorers
Clutch ability can be an overrated talking point among NBA fandom, but having the ability to score in a pinch is incredibly valuable in the playoffs. Suns fans know this, having watched Charles Barkley and Steve Nash produce huge baskets in previous playoff runs. Championship teams almost always have a go to scorer or scorers. Clutch ability is less about the shots someone makes or misses in the clutch, but rather about the ability to score at will in general.
The Suns have two of these players that can be trusted to score at any given time; Chris Paul and Devin Booker. Those two players are elite scorers who each have an innate ability to create their shot. Chris Paul uses his craftiness and IQ to get to his spots no matter what and Booker uses his size and touch to score from three, the mid-range, or even in the post.
4. Elite Coaching
The best teams are almost always the best coached teams. The best coaches win at the highest levels and that's because they can elevate their talent to its highest levels. Maximizing a team's rotations and their talent are paramount to winning a championship.
Monty Williams is one of the more underrated coaches in the NBA. He has an excellent sense for adjustments, rotations, and scheme. He maximizes his team's shooting and defense at all times and he makes the life of the Suns' stars as easy as possible. Williams could have a true breakout this postseason and solidify himself as one of the best coaches in the NBA.
Monty has an excellent sense for what other teams like to do and he counters very well. That skill is most important in the playoffs when the Suns will have to beat one opponent four times.
Monty Williams and the Suns could very well be champions within the next few months. They will need to maximize their rotations and play very well on both ends of the ball, but they certainly have a shot.
In many ways, the Suns should be seen as favorites in the Western Conference.
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