We asked recently on the Valley of the Suns Twitter account what would make the season a success for the Phoenix Suns. Here are the top-six results.
The Phoenix Suns have been a tremendous disappointment over the past eight seasons, not making the playoffs since their surprising Western Conference Finals run in 2010. Since then, they have lost far more than they have won (253-387 since the 2010-11 season), and for three straight seasons have been one of the bottom-feeders of the league (68-178 over that span).
But with the rise of Devin Booker, the drafting of Deandre Ayton, the growth of Josh Jackson, the return of Brandon Knight, the veteran leadership of Tyson Chandler and Trevor Ariza, and the change at head coach of Igor Kokoskov, the Phoenix Suns finally appear to be on the verge of turning the corner and becoming a relevant team in the NBA once again.
To get to where we all want them to be, a franchise that regularly wins 50 games a season or more; who can be penned in ink to make the playoffs even in the preseason; who scares other teams around the league and competes with the best in both conferences; they need to start somewhere.
That start should be the 2018-19 season.
It would be nothing short of miraculous if any of the above happened this season, so what do they need to do to pull off a successful year, even if they aren’t going to make a championship run? Does a successful year only happen if they actually made the playoffs? Would it come if they are simply more competitive? Are there any individual check points that have to be made, or does a successful year only happen due to team-based results?
These are the top-six ways the 2018-19 Phoenix Suns will be successful.