Reminder: The Phoenix Suns have the youngest roster in the NBA

While the Phoenix Suns and their team hoped to do better, you have to remember this was the youngest and most inexperienced team in the NBA this season.

After a decade of playoff-less basketball, it is easy to understand why so many Phoenix Suns fans are pessimistic curmudgeons. Every time it looks like there might be light at the end of the tunnel, a seemingly never-ending total eclipse swoops in and blocks it. However, it is important to remember that this season, the Suns had the youngest roster in the NBA.

This is going to sound like I’m making excuses for this team, and in part, I am. But the Suns had the youngest opening-night roster in the league with an average age of 24.49 years, and now that 27-year-old Tyler Johnson is no longer with the team, that average has ticked down further.

Also, keep in mind that it could have been even younger, considering the Suns drafted two relatively old rookies in Cameron Johnson (23) and Ty Jerome (22).

On top of that, the team collectively had the second-least amount of NBA experience coming into this season with an average of 2.8 years, but that number is now 2.64 without Tyler Johnson, which pushes them past the Boston Celtics as the least experienced team in the NBA.

For what it’s worth, they are also the lightest team in the league weight-wise with an average weight of only 211.33, a full two pounds below the next closest team.

The Phoenix Suns played better than their age and experience would have you expect.

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So, the youngest, least-experienced, and feather-weightiest team in the league made it to the field of 22 with a shot to make the playoffs? When you put it in that perspective, that’s too bad.

This factoid is great news in terms of having a young, solid core to build around, but it also tells me the new building blocks should be veterans.

I already thought the Suns should trade their 2020 first-round pick regardless of where it lands in the lottery, and seeing these numbers makes me double down on that mindset. The Phoenix Suns need some savvy veterans, and while they are slowly building some of those on their own, they can’t wait forever.

It is tempting to look at a team with a 26-39 record and be disappointed. To an extent, it is natural, especially considering the promise the team showed at times this season. However, when you take into consideration this team’s youth (and weight to boot), there is good reason to be proud of this team. Even though they might not make the playoffs, making the Disney 22 is the step in the right direction this fan base needed to see.