Whether as a teacher, motivator, or off-the-bench brawler, everyone wearing Phoenix Suns threads last season contributed at least something toward the team’s Western Conference conquest. With Monty Williams captaining the ship, his players fed off each other’s competitiveness and winning drive, altogether establishing a rock solid culture that gained league-wide recognition.
Everyone bought into it from day one, and even midseason additions like Torrey Craig took little time to catch on for themselves. The Suns moved in unison, stride by stride until they trotted all the way up to league’s grandest stage.
But even with that ideology leading to so much success, it extends only so far when you actually put things into perspective.
No matter how popular the “there is no ‘I’ in team” cliche grows, everyone still knows deep down that some players mean more to certain groups than others. Although the Suns expect themselves to once again cultivate that same “all for one, one for all” culture during the 2021-22 season, the team still looks more reliant on some guys rather than others.
In no way does this squad resemble a one-man wrecking crew, such as the LeBron James led 2017-18 Cleveland Cavaliers, or more accurately…Superman and the Justice League. But the Suns still posses some central pillars that if chopped away—likely bring down the entire operation alongside.
With these three players fitting that bill, Phoenix must make sure that they enjoy solid seasons, because if they fail to, the entire team will begin to hurt.