1. Favorable strength of schedule
If you head on over to the informative positive residual website, you will see that the Suns have the ninth easiest schedule in the league before a ball has been bounced. This will change as the season develops and the games dwindle and some opponents end up being better than expected.
But for a group with such high expectations, that is not a bad place to be. The website also places the Suns fourth in veteran players at 2.88, and while that seems like a bit of a strange number to use here, there is method to introducing it. The Suns have tons of players who have seen it all before.
#Suns 2023-24 regular season schedule pic.twitter.com/eXQGk7bkDo
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) August 17, 2023
Durant has won multiple championships, Booker has been to the finals and Gordon was on a Houston Rockets contender for years. Beal has limited playoff experience, but he’s not a complete rookie. The back end of the rotation has far less experience in that regard, and it is unclear how much the likes of Bol Bol or Chimezie Metu are going to play when it really matters.
While older players are obviously more prone to injuries, having a softer than average schedule right now, and the players who have navigated it all before, is a nice tandem to have as the franchise seeks to have a memorable regular season. The front office has done a nice job of sprinkling in players with something to prove as well.
All in all then, it is about hitting the ground running for the Suns, taking advantage of long home stands when they can get them, and approaching that extended road trip out East with optimism. Do all of that, while beating the teams they’re supposed to and nabbing enough wins against the better opponents, and the Suns are going to have no problems with this regular season.