After six coaching changes and a 10-year playoff drought, the Phoenix Suns returned to the NBA playoffs during the 2020-2021 season. That year also saw the Suns make the NBA Finals for the first time in 28 years. They had a 2-0 series lead, but the Milwaukee Bucks won four straight games and captured the NBA Championship.
The next season, the NBA implemented 72 games in its regular season where the Suns finished second in the Western Conference. They were one of the favorites to capture the NBA Championship. The Suns won the first playoff series against the rising New Orleans Pelicans managed by former Suns assistant coach Willie Green. Yet, they blew a 3-2 western semis series lead to the Dallas Mavericks, which included a 123-90 Game 7 home defeat.
This season, the Suns hold a 38-32 regular season record with 12 games to go, placing them fourth in the Western Conference. With that said, let’s take a look at three reasons why the Suns can successfully secure a 2023 NBA Finals victory.
Here are the NBA Finals odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Finals: Phoenix Suns Odds
Outright Betting Odds: +650
NBA Finalists 2022-2023
versus Milwaukee Bucks: +700
versus Boston Celtics: +850
versus Philadelphia 76ers: +2500
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3 reasons the Phoenix Suns will win the 2023 NBA Finals
1. Squad Depth
The Suns lost some depth but gained a lot more in their moves to acquire a solid 15-man squad. Aaron Holiday, JaVale McGee, Elfrid Payton, and Duane Washington Jr. have left since the beginning of the season. For the team's trade transactions, Jae Crowder, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Dario Saric departed for the club in exchange for Kevin Durant, TJ Warren, Darius Bazley, and Jock Landale. Damion Lee, Saben Lee, Josh Okogie, and Terence Ross were added to the team while Bismack Biyombo and Ish Wainright re-signed.
The Suns' bench averages 35.8 points, 16.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 2.7 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game. They are hitting 43.3% of their field goals, 36.6% of their three-point shots, and 76% of their charity stripe chances. Although the Suns' bench posts just the 11th-highest scoring average among all 30 NBA teams, they have the seventh-best offensive rating at 58.9 and their +1.8 net rating sits fourth in the league. They also have the second-highest assist percentage (64.1) and the third-best rebounding rate (52.6).
Cameron Payne is the main sparkplug off the bench with his 11.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. Landry Shamet, D-Lee, and T-Ross are also capable of providing timely contributions on the floor when needed. Biyombo and Landale are quality backups for Ayton. Any of the bench players are microwave shooters who know how to heat up from any area on the floor.
2. Better Big Four
With the addition of Kevin Durant, the Suns now have four reliable players capable of scoring in different areas on the floor. The Slim Reaper fits in seamlessly alongside the Suns' established core and he should get a few games back with his teammates at the end of the season after returning from his sprained ankle. The Suns have been solid defensively despite losing Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson in the trade.
The Suns basically have a core that made the NBA Finals already, except they added a 4-time scoring champion and one of the best players in the world right now. By simply looking at the Big Four and their stats, it is obvious Phoenix has the best superteam by far. KD has been averaging 29.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game on 57-39-93 shooting splits. Chris Paul is posting 13.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 9.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per night. CP3 has also made 16 point-and-assist double-doubles. Devin Booker is averaging 27.6 points, 4.5 boards, and 5.6 dimes. Deandre Ayton is a walking double-double, posting 18.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and nearly one steal and one block per game. Ayton has also tallied 34 double-doubles this season.
3. Fourth time's the charm
Phoenix has been unlucky in its three previous Finals trips, but this feels like the best time to win it all.
Paul Westphal, Dick Van Arsdale, and Alvan Adams pushed Phoenix to reach the NBA Finals in 1976, defeating Seattle and Golden State in the West before falling 4-2 to the Boston Celtics. This was despite Alvan Adams averaging 23.0 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in the Finals.
The Suns reached their second NBA Finals in 1993. An MVP season by Charles Barkley, as well as outstanding seasons by Kevin Johnson, Tom Chambers, Dan Majerle, Cedric Ceballos, and Danny Ainge made it feel like the Arizona-based team had a great chance to win it all. Unfortunately, the Suns ran into Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, and they were defeated in six games.
It took 28 years before the Suns found themselves in the NBA Finals again, but they were not able to capitalize in 2021. The Bucks, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, proved their bests on both ends of the floor. A decline in the performances of CP3 and D-Book, as well as improvements from Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, and Brook Lopez were enough to give the Bucks their second championship.
Phoenix has a chance to win it all, as this is arguably their best chance in franchise history. This Phoenix team fares better than their previous Finals-bound teams because they have a four-time scoring champion and two-time Finals MVP to guide them to the trophy.
It is Phoenix’s time to win it all because everything is aligned for them. Despite a tight Western Conference, the Suns possess the best roster to win their first NBA championship. The Suns have the best starting lineup in the NBA, one of the brightest head coaches, and a mix of veterans and young stars who are all motivated to shut out the noise and win an NBA championship.
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