The Phoenix Suns were being talked about as, “Why did they make the bubble?” less than 2 years ago to now being considered as
“championship contenders”. This has been a team that has defied odds and proved doubters wrong. A well rounded roster led my Chris Paul and Devin Booker, along with other key players like Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder make this team the clear cut championship favorite!
The Suns finished with a 64-18 record this season, putting this year’s team as the 22nd best regular season team in NBA history, 7th best since 2010 and 6th best since 2015. This is an amazing roster. However, I think you can make an argument that they’re a better team than all the teams above them besides the Warriors since 2015. The 2018 Houston Rockets had a better record and their 2nd best player was Chris Paul, who suffered injuries all season. They lost in the Western Conference Finals. They’re better than the 2016 Spurs, who lost in the Western Conference semis. Despite having a great Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs didn’t give him an overwhelmingly of help, which needed with that roster.
The Suns set a bunch of records this season. They have the best record in Suns history, defeating the team that had 2, 1st team all NBA players (Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire). They had the best SRS this season, better than the 2013 Western Conference champion Spurs and 1949 NBA champion Minneapolis Lakers. The Suns went 11-6 without Chris Paul, who is 9th in the NBA in Win Shares, statistically getting full credit for 9.4 of Phoenix’s 64 wins. The Suns record without Paul ranks high in the NBA ranks without their best player, behind the Grizzlies without Ja Morant.
The Suns are a very talented roster. Paul is the overall leader on both sides of the ball. He is 5th in steals percentage, 2nd in steals per game and first in assists per game. He is also 11th in offensive rating and 16th in defensive rating. Booker is the true scorer and the guy that you can rely on to make the shot in any time of the game. He is 8th in points and points per game. I consider Booker to be their best player and Paul their most valuable player.
With those stars, a great 3pt shooting offense and a dominant paint, the Suns are ready take down whatever team ends up closing in as a the 8th seed in the West. And on top of that, their ready to win a championship!
Chase Coburn
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