The 2025-26 NBA season is officially underway, and all it took was one game for the Phoenix Suns to realize what they are missing in Kevin Durant's absence. He was immense for the Houston Rockets during a double-overtime classic versus the Oklahoma City Thunder to raise the curtain on a new campaign, and he will be missed in The Valley this season.
Phoenix on the other hand is now hoping to build their identity around defending, while also believing they can ride their intensity and game plan on that end of the court to a play-in spot. When you've got veterans such as Dillon Brooks on the roster - not to mention a 28-year-old superstar in Devin Booker who hates losing - that goal feels more than achievable.
Mat Ishbia dumps all over The Ringer's take on Suns' defending.
The Ringer ran a piece ahead of the new campaign, and it was full of all of the takes and talking points you would expect. One heading in particular caught the attention of Suns' fans immediately, with franchise owner Mat Ishbia feeling the need to get involved. They were called bold predictions for a reason, but claiming the Suns will be the worst defensive team in the league is outrageous.
.@BillSimmons, you and your crew have some good takes and some that are terrible. You’re the betting guru and even you know better than to actually take this bet. Tell you what, go put your money on this take. When you lose, I will donate the same amount to charity of your… https://t.co/dCLMUdtbMz
— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) October 22, 2025
This is Ishbia at his best - and for all of his faults since taking over the organization - he has always publicly backed the team. To put his money where his mouth is and say he will donate money to charity if he's proven wrong on this is also a win-win, because either the Suns aren't the worst defensvie team in the league, or they somehow are and Ishbia will donate to a good cause.
The Suns did give up 117.7 points per game last season, but that was with Jusuf Nurkic around until the deadline and a group that clearly did not want to work for one another. The addition of Brooks alone almost ensures this won't be the case, while both Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro look to have taken small leaps judging by preseason play.
Really though the fact that the Suns aren't in control of their first round draft pick in 2026, means the incentive to be truly bad isn't there either. Coach Ott will want to prove right away that he is the long-term man for the job, particularly given Steve Nash was hired as a senior advisor a couple of weeks back.
Then there is rookie Khaman Maluach, who is already an imposing figure in the paint and who is only going to improve alongside the likes of Brooks and Ighodaro. Yes Jalen Green isn't bringing anything on that end - but with many experts also predicting the Suns will smash their expected win total - they simply won't be the worst defensive team in the league.
The fashionable pick here is the Brooklyn Nets, while the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets could also find themselves languishing near the bottom. The Western Conference is tougher than the East, but the Suns will have a chance to beat up on these weaker cross-conference opponents some as well. Ishbia was right to go public with this one.