The Phoenix Suns shocked the world last season when they made it all the way to the Finals. They had an extremely successful regular-season behind Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and DeAndre Ayton, and nearly won it all before succumbing to the Milwaukee Bucks in June. However, there's still a lot of questions surrounding this roster and how good they actually are.
Let's do a preview of the Phoenix Suns, and see what questions this team will have to answer throughout the season.
Can the Suns prove that last year wasn't a fluke?
This is the biggest question in every NBA fan's mind right now about the Phoenix Suns. Yes, they did make it all the way to the Finals. They even took two games off of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks! But their path to get there is highly scrutinized by many pundits.
First, the Suns had to face a Los Angeles Lakers team that was without Anthony Davis. They handily won that 4-1. Next up for them was the Denver Nuggets, who didn't have Jamal Murray. It was a 4-0 sweep. Finally, in the Conference Finals, the Suns battled the Los Angeles Clippers, who again was missing another star in Kawhi Leonard. Result: 4-2 in favor of Phoenix.
Injuries are absolutely part of the playoffs. Availability when it matters most is also a skill, and the Suns had that in spades. However, it has led fans to wonder if maybe they wouldn't be able to get all the way to the Finals if even one of those teams were fully healthy. It's up to the Suns to prove to everyone that they could still win even if everyone else was healthy.
Will Chris Paul keep up his level of play?
There's a certain age in basketball where you're supposed to decline in your abilities. It's usually around 34 or 35 when stars start to become role-players or role-players start fizzling out of the league. It seems Chris Paul didn't get that memo, though, as he was absolutely fantastic for the Suns at age 35.
Paul averaged 16.4 points, 8.9 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game in his first year with the Suns. Despite being older and a touch slower, CP3 still lived up to his “Point God” moniker. He quarterbacked a Suns offense that badly needed a primary playmaker behind Devin Booker. And when the chips were down and his scoring was needed, Paul came through for the Suns. Paul's brilliant performance was one of the primary reasons why the Suns were so successful.
But is it sustainable for the Suns to rely on Paul so much? Paul is entering his age-36 season this year. His smarts and craft might still be there, but who knows if his body can still keep up with his mind. Father Time is undefeated; it's just a matter of knowing when finally strikes.
Can Monty Williams involve DeAndre Ayton further?
The Suns got roasted in the last few seasons for picking center DeAndre Ayton over Luka Doncic. Those talks escalated when Doncic started doing his thing in Dallas, but they were promptly silenced by Ayton's performance in the playoffs.
In first taste of post-season action, Ayton made his presence felt for the Suns. He averaged a double-double of 15.8 points and 11.8 rebounds in the entire run, but his biggest impact was on the other side of the ball. Ayton, who was apparently “bad” at defense entering the draft, was Phoenix's anchor on D. He was a presence inside the paint for the Suns defense, and he held his own pretty well against Giannis (until the latter went berserk).
During that Finals run, though, there was a lot of chatter surrounding Ayton's role in the offense. It seemed like Ayton barely touched the ball during Suns possessions, seemingly by design. The onus is on Monty Williams to find a way for Ayton to get to his spots and work his highly-touted offensive skills.
Is Devin Booker ready to take the next step?
Devin Booker was a man possessed in the playoffs. Long criticized to be an “empty stats guy”, the Suns star made sure to put everyone on notice when he finally made the postseason. He went nuclear through that entire run, scoring 27.3 points per game along with 5.6 rebounds and 4.5 points per game.
People were certainly impressed by Booker's nightly shoot-outs in the Playoffs. Or at least… semi-nightly. For every stellar performance Book would pull out for the Suns, there was an equal and opposite dud where he'd be off his game in some way. Fans may remember Booker's 40-point explosion against the Clippers, but he shot abysmally that series as a whole (38.2%, 28.6% from three).
Can Booker ascend from star to superstar and be more consistent in his performances? If he does, that elevates Phoenix almost immediately.
Is it a mistake for the Suns to run it back?
There's something that can be said about keeping a team's chemistry together. After that Finals run, the Phoenix Suns elected to keep their core together. Their only two major additions in the offseason was getting back-up center JaVale McGee to bolster their big man rotation and Landry Shamet from the Nets.
Is that enough for another run to the Finals? Everyone else in the West either added new pieces or are welcoming back returning players from injury. Maybe the Suns had to take a shot at one of the free agents this season, or traded for another piece to help them further. Only time will tell if this was the right call or not, but if it turns out to be wrong, it might just cost them their title window.
Follow Us
Subscribe