1. Is there any chance the Phoenix Suns are a playoff team?
At 23-59 last season that record was good enough for 14th in the Western Conference. In an earlier post, I had them pegged as a 32-50 team this season – bad, but a nine game improvement. The Houston Rockets finished with the last playoff spot at 41-41, nine games above even my earlier prediction, and 18 games better than the Suns’ 2015-16 finish.
Of the eight playoff teams, the only one that prognosticators can peg as one that will take a step back is Oklahoma City due to their loss of Kevin Durant. But, is this enough to knock them out of the playoffs opening a spot for a new team like the Suns? The Rockets also lost Dwight Howard, but is this addition by subtraction?
Even though a few players on the Suns see themselves as a playoff team, it will likely take around a 20 game improvement, and at least one of the top eight from last season to take a significant step back, allowing the Suns to leapfrog in. Is this likely? We’ll see, but probably not.
Next: It is T.J. Warren's Time
Thanks for reading! Less than 25 days left until the season starts! If you have any questions about this team that you would like to ask, leave them below!