One anonymous executive believes Phoenix stands out above the rest in the conference
PHOENIX — The dawn of the 2024-25 Phoenix Suns regular season is just over a week away – as they will be the first team to ever visit the Intuit Dome against the Los Angeles Clippers on October 23.
The ushering in of a new season behind the tutelage of Mike Budenholzer along with some meaningful shifting of the roster has built considerable hype around the fanbase – and some inside of the NBA seem to believe that the Suns will be back in a major way this season.
NBA reporter Mark Medina sat down with a crew of anonymous NBA executives and assistant coaches to inquire about a myriad of topics heading into the season – including who the favorite is to reign supreme in the Western Conference.
One of the execs believe the Suns are in fact the team to beat in the West – and very much believe that this season will bear the results that were expected heading into 2023-24:
“The team to beat in the West is Phoenix, believe it or not. I think their top-end talent is just ready to make a move. KD [Kevin Durant] and Book [Devin Booker] are really, really good. They had an outlier year last year with trying to get everything working together. I think [Mike] Budenholzer and Tyus Jones are great additions. I think they will figure out a way to use some draft compensation and [Jusuf] Nurkić contract to get even better [in a trade]. I think the team that emerges from the West in Phoenix. I believe in Kevin. I believe in Booker. I believe in Budenholzer. Denver, Dallas, Oklahoma City are options. But I think the one-two punch in Phoenix is better than the one-two punch anywhere else.”
– NBA executive on team to beat in West
This is a very pragmatic and valid stance. The Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, and Oklahoma City Thunder are widely viewed as the most “complete” teams in the conference – but the Suns have taken marked measures to improve the collective outlook of the team compared to last season.
Evidence of the tweaks have showed in preseason play – as rookie Ryan Dunn has shot 44.4% from behind the arc in four games thus far, Oso Ighodaro has proven to be ready to play right away, and Monte Morris boasted a 20 point/7 assist statline last night against his former squad.
The most eye-popping factor that could push Phoenix over the top is the conspicuous difference in play-style under Budenholzer – the team has yet to attempt fewer than 40 three-point shots in a game during ramp-up play. The talent is there. The coaching staff is now on the complete same page. The high-end talent stacks up with anyone.
Some may be skeptical as to how far the Suns can actually go – and rightfully so based off of how last season ended. But it is difficult to deny the ceiling of this team is much easier to reach compared to the previous rendition.
The Suns’ final preseason game is set for Thursday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.