The Suns have been one of the feel-good stories of the season, but that might soon be coming to a halt per Bill Simmons. Simmons recently dove into the Suns' upcoming schedule, and it looks brutal. Not only do the Suns play a flurry of playoff-caliber opponents over the next few weeks, but they also make their first big East road trip.
The Suns are approaching one of their most difficult stretches
Simmons even wondered if the Suns had played any East teams on the road at all this season. Shockingly, Phoenix has only had two road East games so far - a win in Washington on Dec 29 and a loss in Cleveland on New Year's Eve. In January, the Suns will add a lot more road games against the East with a big trip.
From January 13th to 23rd, the Suns will play 6 straight games on the road in the East. The East has been the lesser conference so far this season, but the increased travel toll of games across the country could make these matchups harder for the Suns. These games will also be against the cream of the East crop; the Suns have back-to-back games against the top two seeds in Detroit and New York.
The standout performances of the East's top seeds have already caught some eyes in Phoenix. The Pistons and Knicks have established themselves as proper top teams and dominated opponents regardless of conference. Playing both teams on the road in consecutive games, as well as an additional home matchup against each in January, won't be easy for the Suns.
On top of the slough of travel, the Suns also have more games coming up against tough opponents in their own conference. Matchups against top teams like Oklahoma City and Houston add even more stress into the Suns' schedule. Many teams across the league are clicking now, and even games against lesser teams like the Grizzlies are no walk in the park.
It's an unfortunate time for the Suns to run into schedule difficulties. The trade deadline is rapidly approaching, and there are bound to be rumors aplenty for a team that can swing in different ways. Navigating a difficult schedule with uncertainty hanging around the roster will be doubly difficult.
Rookie head coach Jordan Ott will certainly have his work cut out for him over the next month. But there is a silver lining: if the Suns can make it out of this stretch in positioning for the postseason, their status going forward will be solidified. The Suns can graduate from the ranks of a team playing an easy schedule and catching opponents off guard to making real noise in the playoff picture. They just have to get through their hardest games first.