Three Things NBA Preview: Phoenix Suns
As I detailed a few weeks ago, I’m once again re-appropriating the Three Things I Noticed on League Pass format to preview the upcoming season. Instead of three things I noticed, it’ll be something more along the lines of three things I’m looking forward to, interested in, or want to see. Some of them might be narrative-based, some might be stats, and some might include video. But they'll all be focused on the 2025-26 campaign.
The schedule for those posts will be as follows (podcasts for each division with Mo Dakhil are in parentheses):
- Atlantic Division (BOS, BKN, NYK, PHI, TOR) (Podcast)
- Central Division (CHI, CLE, DET, IND, MIL)
- Southeast Division (ATL, CHA, MIA, ORL, WAS) (Podcast)
- Pacific Division (GSW, LAC, LAL, PHX, SAC) (Podcast)
- Sept. 29-Oct. 3: Northwest Division (DEN, MIN, OKC, POR, UTA)
- Oct. 6-10: Southwest Division (DAL, HOU, MEM, NOP, SAS)
So without further ado, let's get to the Phoenix Suns, who were a total embarrassment last season and now appear to be headed into a new era.
Where are we going?
I wrote about the Suns earlier this offseason. Here's an excerpt:
In all seriousness, I am confused not just by what the hell it is the Suns are doing these days, but by what they think they're doing.
They can't possibly think that they're contending in the West. That is wildly unrealistic to begin with given the state of the roster, but beyond that, if you think you're contending, you don't trade Kevin Durant and/or buy out and then waive and stretch Bradley Beal. You keep those guys and make another run at things.
But they also can't possibly think that they're rebuilding. They are wildly over-leveraged in terms of future draft assets and can't really take advantage of their own ineptitude if they wind up being really bad. But beyond that, you don't trade multiple picks for Mark Williams if you think you're rebuilding, after having already drafted a center at No. 10 overall. You just let that lottery pick play and learn from his mistakes.
If you're reading this newsletter, you're undoubtedly familiar with the famous "two timelines" strategy the Warriors said they wanted to employ down the stretch of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green's careers. One timeline where they compete at a high level for the remainder of those guys' primes, and another where the young players they drafted during the years those guys got hurt, ascended to heights great enough to take over the reins and continue inner-circle contention for years to come. The paths of those timelines were supposed to overlap so that the team never experienced a drop-off. Alas, like most of those types of plans, it didn't really work out, and the Warriors are now basically all-in on the right-now timeline once again after several years of unsuccessfully trying to chart multiple courses at once.
Amazingly, I think the Suns have a zero-timelines plan.
You can read the full post right here.
