The rookies will hit the rookie wall hard
Two of the Suns most important players are rookies. Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges will have plenty of great moments, but ultimately it’s impossible to rely on a rookie for a whole season.
Last year, the top three rookies in Rookie of the Year voting were Ben Simmons, Donovan Mitchell, and Jayson Tatum. All three were key cogs in playoff teams, but that doesn’t mean they played well all season. All three hit rough patches.
The Sixers, Jazz, and Celtics all had deep, strong rosters that could persevere through the struggles of their best player. That’s not at all the case with the Phoenix Suns. These two rookies are being added to a 21-win last place team.
Booker and Jackson will improve, and Ariza was a nice addition, but there’s no avoiding the fact that the team needs production out of their two top ten picks. If those two give them poor minutes for a consistent stretch, it will be tough to improve over last season.
Ayton and Bridges will help the Suns look like a solid team at times, but eventually other teams will start to figure them out, and they won’t yet be savvy or well-rounded enough to counter. And when they run into that rookie wall, the other Suns won’t be good enough to overcome it.