Will the Phoenix Suns Success continue outside the bubble?

Will the Phoenix Suns’ newfound winning ways carry over in the real world when they are in front of fans once again?

Over the past decade of being a Phoenix Suns fan, it’s hard not to be pessimistic when it comes to this team. Countless times the Suns have brought in players through the draft and free agency that initially provided promise, only to ultimately disappoint.

It is easy, and probably smart, for Suns fans to have their guards up; to reserve hope so we are not let down again for the umpteenth time. It also is easy to wonder if the success in the bubble was simply due to the environment it created for a young team. An environment with minimal distractions that essentially sent a young group of players to a basketball camp where all they could do was focus on their craft. Pair that with a strong leader in Monty Williams, and it is not that surprising that the Suns were successful.

Will success continue when the Phoenix Suns play outside the bubble?

What happens now when this team plays in the real world again? There’s still a lot that can happen in the off-season, but the nucleus that succeeded in the bubble – Rubio, Booker, Bridges, Johnson, and Ayton – is guaranteed to be there.  What happens when they get to go back to their luxurious homes after a game? Play in front of thousands of fans, travel from city to city, and have their personal lives follow them around? Will this be too much of a distraction? Will they continue winning, or will they go back to their losing ways? Was the bubble success simply a construct of their environment? That is the million-dollar question.

I believe this is not the case. I believe that for the first time in a very, very, long time we have a playoff-bound team in the Valley again. I am choosing to get back with that ex-girlfriend that I very well know might just break my heart once again. There is just something different in the air this time around though.

Instead of leaving after a game to go back to their own personal lives, they were forced to stay near each other, as a team. They’ve watched games, gone fishing, played ping pong, all of it together. They bonded and gained priceless experience in this unique situation. An experience that developed intangible benefits that this team, and we as fans, will reap for years to come.

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This pack of players was like a group of starving animals in the wild who finally got a taste of blood. Now that they’ve had a taste, they will do anything to get another. This is no longer the same old Phoenix Suns that we’ve seen for years; they have transformed into something new.

Devin Booker continues to amaze at such a young age. He appears to have blossomed from a star to a superstar. Thanks to James Jones, Booker finally has a strong supporting cast around him that has grown together and will continue to grow. I don’t think enough gets said about Monty Williams and the job he has done. He is the leader that this young team has been desperately needing, and arguably, the best off-season acquisition James Jones has made.

As long as James Jones can continue to make the right roster moves going forward, this team will be a force to be reckoned with. The bubble was no accident, but a preview of what’s to come.

Buckle your seat belts Suns fans, the Phoenix Suns are back!