The Phoenix Suns Are Coming
Phoenix just did the unthinkable of going undefeated (8–0) in the NBA Bubble. This is pretty unreal considering the fact that they were predicted to do exactly the opposite before the season returned. Despite their efforts, they still missed the playoffs due to the Grizzlies and Trailblazers winning their respective final games. The question many people want to know now is, “What is the future of this Suns team?” I am here to say that the future of the Suns looks bright.
The Superstar: Devin Booker
It’s about time we all put some respect on Devin Booker’s name. What we saw this season (especially in the Bubble) was spectacular. Booker has been one of the best scorers in the league, putting up 24+ ppg the past three seasons. We all remember his 70 point performance in 2017, which started his recognition as an elite player. Along with being a top scorer, Booker is starting to round out his game as a playmaker. He has been putting up 6+ apg in the past two seasons. His overall game has improved immensely over the last couple of years, along with his basketball IQ. Making the all-star game was a big step in Booker’s career, and I see this trend continuing as he improves as a star in this league.
Booker has never had a reliable team surrounding him. This year has been the first year we have seen any sort of success since his arrival to Phoenix. 34 wins is exactly 11 more than the Suns have won in a season in the past five years, not to mention that this was a shortened season. Most of the credit goes to Devin Booker, but a lot of it also has to do with the development of this young team.
The Co-Star: DeAndre Ayton
I think that DeAndre Ayton is a player that complements Booker tremendously well. DeAndre Ayton has the potential to be one of the top 5 centers in the league. If you pair that with one of the best scorers in the league, things start to get interesting.
Ayton has shown signs of becoming a dominant big on offense due to his strength and athleticism around the rim. He doesn’t have a reliable jump shot yet, but he can still hit from about 12–15 feet out. All of this, along with his above-average post moves, make him an offensive force. He is also one of the better rebounders in the league and shows an unnoticed amount of skill boxing out other centers.
I feel like this skill set meshes with Booker’s perfectly. He just needs to polish a few things up on the defensive end, but I am confident that Ayton can improve in this area.
The Depth
The Suns have a nice looking depth chart full of young talent and quality pieces to fit around the core of Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton.
For the guard spots, there’s Ricky Rubio and Cameron Payne. Both of these players have a positive impact on the team in differing ways. Ricky Rubio has been a consistent and solid starter for the Suns all year, putting up just about 13 ppg and 9 apg while being a pretty good defender. Cameron Payne has been a great shooter and scorer off the bench, shooting over 50% from the three-point line. He provides a spark plug for the team, which is huge for this young squad’s future.
At the forward position, there is not a lot of star power. However, there is so much depth and potential. Kelly Oubre Jr. had a break-out season. He was the second-leading scorer on the Suns with 18.7 ppg and was an excellent defender as well. Speaking of defense, let’s talk about Mikal Bridges. Bridges has been the perfect three-and-D player for this team. He is one of the better perimeter defenders in the league and is also a 36% shooter from behind the arc. Another young forward to watch for this team is the rookie, Cameron Johnson. Cam has been the starting power forward for Phoenix since the league returned and has not disappointed. He put up 13.3 ppg and was an essential piece to that 8–0 playoff rally that the Suns ended the season with. This core of young forwards is going to be extremely vital for the future of this team.
Finally, at the back-up center, is nonother than Aaron Baynes. I don’t know if anybody remembers this, but there was a two week stretch in November where Baynes was putting up just under 20 ppg on 50% three-point shooting. He didn’t keep this up due to injury problems all season, but I really hope that the Suns can resign him. It is always nice to have a big man that can shoot the three like him.
The Future
As of right now, it looks like the Suns will have a mid-to-late lottery pick. Assuming they fall outside of the top 5 or so picks, it will be important to pick a player who can complement this team moving forward. I think they should pick someone who can play behind Devin Booker, like Josh Green from Arizona. He would provide shooting and depth to this young roster.
The team has a clear sense of direction for the first time in over a decade. With a ripe average age of 24.56 years old, the Phoenix Suns are the youngest team in the whole league. There is so much upside to this roster. It is amazing to think about.
Seeing them perform at such a high level and match up so well with the best teams in the league is something to take note of, especially with Oubre Jr. and Baynes both missing.
Prediction
I predict that the Phoenix Suns will finish the 2020–21 season with a record of 43–39 and finish 8th in the West. This would secure their first playoff berth since the Steve Nash era. It’s been over a decade now, and I think this team is going to come into next season extra hungry after missing the playoffs this year.
Who knows? Maybe the Suns can become a dynasty within the next decade and win their first championship in franchise history. Only time will tell, but I have a lot of confidence in the roster being built. The Suns are giving Devin Booker every reason to stay.
