Suns fans are animated over a possible playoff run this season
With the eve of a new season upon us, the final touches to the Suns’ 2015-16 opening night roster have been made. Six new players join the Suns, with 5 coming via the draft, and 1 via free agency. Already among the youngest squads in the league last year, the Suns somehow managed to get even younger. The only veteran added was Patrick Beverley, a grizzled vet with 3 years of experience. But did the Suns actually get any better? The Suns made huge strides from the 2013-14 season to the 2014-15 season. They went from being a joke at 21-61 two years ago, to 38-44 last season for a 17 game improvement and finished just one game out of the playoffs. So can the team continue to improve and take another step forward?
A Look at the Positions
PG
At the point guard spot, the Suns are going in a different direction this season. Eric Bledsoe did an admirable job for the Suns last year, especially when it came to scoring and playing defense, but it looks like the Suns believe moving Bledsoe to the two-guard spot will open up the offense a bit. When Delon Wright was somehow still on the draft board when the 17th pick came around, the Suns had to be thrilled. Projected as a top 10 pick all year leading up to the draft and seen by many scouts as the best true point guard in the draft, Wright could run the offense from day 1. Despite being a rookie, Wright already boasts solid passing and ball handling ability with an abnormally good IQ for a rookie. While his defense won’t be as dominant as Bledsoe’s (then again whose is?), he should be able to hold his own. Look for Wright to make a strong impact on the team very early on. Wright won’t have to do it alone though. Free agent acquisition Beverley has some of the best handles in the game to go along with stingy defense. A reserve most of his short career so far, Beverley showed what he can do when given the chance as he ran the Denver Nuggets’ offense the entire playoffs en route to a championship and was a triple daily threat on a nightly basis.
SG
From talking to a source inside the Suns’ front office, the reasoning for drafting Wright and bringing in Beverley is to allow Bledsoe to take over the shooting guard position. Bledsoe plays lights-out defense and does an excellent job creating his own shot on the offensive end. He can drive to the basket with his athleticism, and if he gets zoned, he’ll let it fly from deep with his top 10 3-point shooting from a season ago. As Bledsoe goes, so goes the Suns. There to give him breathers is Jimmy “McBuckets” Butler. His elite defense goes without saying, but don’t sleep on his offense. Not willing to be seen as a one trick pony, he’s really worked on his scoring ability. Coming off a season where he averaged career highs of 12 pts on 43% shooting and 34% from deep, he’ll try to improve upon those numbers again.
SF
Small forward is the youngest position for the Suns. The Suns gave up quite a bit to bring Andrew Wiggins to Phoenix, so expectations are understandably high. Some scouts around the CSL believe he’ll just be a pretty good wing player with serious flaws, while some others think he’s a phenom in the making. Only time will tell what his future holds, but he should be a solid two-way wing player almost immediately with great defense and the ability to put the ball in the basket. He’ll be aided by fellow lottery draft pick Sam Dekker, who brings a much less flashy but more well-rounded game. Dekker is a smart player without any real weaknesses. He won’t turn the ball over, he defends, he can shoot, and he’s solid on the glass. Dekker doesn’t need to be an all-star, he just needs to be a glue guy off the bench to be a success for the Suns. But there’s only so much you can project when it comes to rookies. So only time will tell.
Wiggins was all smiles to hear he'd be playing for the emerging, young Suns this season
PF
After helping fill in at small forward a year ago, 2nd year player Isaiah Austin will move back to a more natural power forward position. Austin brings a unique game to the Suns’ front court. Offensively, he has tremendous range. He didn’t shoot many threes in the beginning of the season, but as the season wore on, he shot more and more with continued success that resulted in a 43% shooting percentage. Look for him to continue to develop his shot, which should draw defenders out of the paint and allow guards and wing players to drive the lane with success. Defensively, Austin led all rookies and was among the league leaders in blocked shots, while also holding opponents to just 0.80 PA/SF. His only real weakness was on the glass, but reportedly, he’s been working on his rebounding and hitting the weight room in an effort to become better in that area. Behind Austin will be yet another first round rookie in the form of Bobby Portis. Portis is a raw rookie that will need time to develop, and while his future looks promising, many within the organization aren’t sure what to expect from him in year one.
Austin's shooting ability should open up the offense for the Suns
CThe center position will look the same as last year for the Suns. Alex Len and Miles Plumlee complement one another quite well. Alex Len brings a promising offensive game that continues to get better, while Plumlee brings excellent rebounding skills and both big men can block shots with regularity.
Training Camp Battles
The most intriguing battle is at the point guard position, where the coaching staff has yet to determine who will start game 1. It appears that the edge currently resides with Wright due to his higher ceiling, but Beverley has looked so good in practice that both players will be given equal time during the pre-season to determine a starter. While some might be surprised by this given Wright’s polished play and higher ceiling, remember that the Suns are looking to make a push for a playoff spot in the crowded Western Conference. So if Beverley proves to be the better option for opening night, he’ll get the first opportunity.
Beverley is looking to earn more minutes on the court
The other main position battle is at the center position. Len is more efficient offensively and Plumlee is a low-usage big man that is great on the glass. Len has really worked hard to improve his game (especially his weaker rebounding), so it’ll be interesting to see if he’s improved enough to overtake Plumlee. Plumlee appears to be a better fit next to Austin due to his rebounding, so he probably has the advantage here, but Len has more long-term upside, so it’s not out of the question for Len to start over him.Season Outlook
Despite a starting lineup that could start two rookies, most scouts around the league agree that the Suns have improved since last season. In addition to the acquisitions via the draft and free agency, the young Suns roster has improved through another offseason of development. So in a vacuum, the Suns should be serious contenders for a playoff spot. After all, the Suns finished just a game out of the playoffs a season ago with a roster that is inferior to the current one. Unfortunately for the Suns, a lot of other teams in the West got a lot better, thus making the race for the playoffs a tight one. This author’s predictions for the playoff race are the following:
1. Houston Rockets – likely would have come out of the West with a healthy Howard.
2. Denver Nuggets – defending champs.
3. Los Angeles Clippers – new GM BI made huge changes to the lineup but remain one of the most talented teams in the entire CSL
4. San Antonio Spurs – Kevin Durant.
5. New Orleans Pelicans – Cotton/Wade/White/Davis/Jordan is one heck of a starting 5.
6. Memphis Grizzlies – great inside-out combo of Conley/Jefferson
7. Minnesota Timberwolves – Westbrook and Holiday should be able to get the Wolves to the playoffs by themselves.
8. Sacramento Kings – Extremely talented, young roster with great depth.
The Spurs acquired superstar Kevin Durant from the Thunder and had an excellent free agency to almost assuredly lock them up a playoff spot, the Pelicans brought in DeAndre Jordan and should improve on an underachieving year last season, and the Kings brought in Bradley Beal, Otto Porter and Christian Wood in what could be the best offseason in the entire CSL. This list doesn’t even include the Golden State Warrior who should make a run at the playoffs now that Curry is healthy again, nor does it include the Portland Trailblazers who are a playoff team from a season ago with two of the best players in the league in Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge. So despite improving on last season’s team, the Suns will have a very tough time making the playoffs, and might have to wait another season or two to take that next step forward to the playoffs. Then again, unexpected injuries, trades, and coaching decisions will undoubtedly occur that will change the balance of power in the West, so these predictions mean little at this point. Get ready for an exciting 2015-16 season.
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