This one stat is fueling the Phoenix Suns' amazing turnaround

If there’s anything you can say with certainty about the Phoenix Suns through the first month-plus of the 2025-26 season, it’s that they’re defying expectations.

As NBA Analyst for The Ringer Kirk Goldsberry pointed out in his Thanksgiving Index, only the Detroit Pistons were ahead of Phoenix this year in terms of winning percentage vs. their preseason expectations at the Thanksgiving holiday.

No single factor is the end-all for why the Suns are overperforming what analysts, betting markets and fans expected from them early in the post-Kevin Durant era.

There is one stat, however, that makes an interesting case.

Suns team stats highlighted by steals per game.

Through the month of November ahead of games played on Dec. 1, the Suns rank No. 1 in the NBA with 10.6 steals per game. That’s even ahead of the defensive juggernaut and reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder (10.4 steals per contest).

Compare that to a season ago when the Suns ranked 28th in the league in the category, tied for second-to-last with the Boston Celtics at 7.2 steals per game.

That is a massive year-over-year improvement.

More minutes for Collin Gillespie, as well as the additions of Dillon “The Villain” Brooks and rim-protecting big man Mark Williams have no doubt helped that turnaround, but give credit where it’s due to first-year head coach Jordan Ott.

It’s clear the former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant has put an emphasis on 3-point shooting this season, with Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale being beneficiaries as their numbers from long range are among the best in the league.

But the defensive side of the ball is where Phoenix continues to thrive by creating chaos and carving out a new identity.

Their collective length, hustle and grit has the Suns forcing turnovers through defensive traps and active hands in the passing lanes. It’s been a defense by committee, as a total of nine players on the roster (including the injured Jalen Green in an admittedly small sample size) are averaging at least one steal per contest. The aforementioned Brooks leads the way with 1.7 swipes per game.

Expanding further, only OKC (17.9) and Detroit (17) force more turnovers per game than the Suns (16.8) entering the month of December.

The Suns’ defensive rating this year at the time of writing ranks them 14th in the league. Compared again to a season ago when they finished a pitiful 28th, that’s a remarkable improvement in just a few months.

The consistency with which the Suns are racking up steals and forcing turnovers takes a ton of pressure off the offense, as they’re then able to get out and run to find open looks — like the above Jordan Goodwin triple.

In their Nov. 18 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, the Suns poached 19 steals. That mark is still the most by an NBA team in a game this season and the most in a game for Phoenix as a franchise since Feb. 21, 2002. It was also just the 10th time in franchise history that all five starters recorded two or more steals in a game — the first time that had happened since March 12, 1983.

Ryan Dunn collected five steals all by himself, including this one that led to a clear runway and a highlight dunk.

The Suns’ team defense is a night and day difference this season compared to 2024-25. Ott, Brooks, Gillespie, Williams and others are committing to changing the culture on that end of the court.

They may not lead the league in steals per game by season’s end, but the commitment to a defensive turnaround appears like it is here to stay in the Valley.