The Phoenix Suns are being slept on, let's hope it stays that way

Let's paint a picture. What if you were told that one of the 30 teams in the NBA had two of the top 12 players in the league, three of the 10 highest paid heading into next season - all of which have been All-Stars at least three times - and a new head coach who has won a championship as recently as 2021?

Adding another layer to this intriguing scenario, two of these players just starred for their country at the Olympic Games in Paris, while their lack of a point guard from a season ago has been remedied with not one, but two solutions.

We've just described the Phoenix Suns - so why is everybody sleeping on them?

Recent history certainly plays a part, and the Suns were swept out of the playoffs at the first hurdle last time out by the Minnesota Timberwolves. An outcome that looked for a minute like it might be defensible, until the Timberwolves themselves were spanked in five games by the Dallas Mavericks in the Conference Finals.

But outside of Kevin Garnett - who is pretty bullish on what the Suns can achieve next season - there hasn't been a lot of talk about what this group can do. This despite owner Mat Ishbia putting his money where his mouth is - and everywhere else it is required - to try and build a winner, second apron be damned. Well, sort of.

This obviously suits the Suns - head coach Mike Budenholzer can easily instil an "us against the world" mentality in Phoenix - but there are so many reasons to believe that this remains a sleeping giant. Last season they managed to win 49 games - and had a pair of seven game winning streaks - despite coughing the ball up a horrible 14.9 times per game and playing with a general malaise.

The had a head coach in Frank Vogel who - try as he might - just didn't seem to click properly with this group. This culminated in Beal infamously refusing to shake his coach's hand going back to the bench during the beatdown by the Timberwolves, but the writing appeared to be on the wall before that ugly moment. And yet...

The Suns finished the regular season an acceptable 12th in defensive rating (113.7), while offensively they snuck into the top 10 (116.8). Coach Budenholzer is sure to bring an added element to how the Suns score, but what he is able to achieve at the other end of the court is actually underrated. Yes he had Giannis Antetokounmpo to work with in the past, but he still created a successful style of play.

This team now has a point guard in Tyus Jones who is not only going to set everybody up, but also take care of the basketball and act as a focal point to restart a possession if it breaks down. The idea of Beal and Devin Booker splitting playmaking duties sounded intriguing in theory - and Beal's injuries didn't help - but it didn't quite happen for them. Yet they still won 49 games.

That aforementioned meh feeling to the regular season was surely caused by the fact their trio of stars knew the playoffs were going to be the most important part of the season, but failing to take the first 82 games ultimately cost the organization. Which is why adding a pair of rookies in Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro was so important.

Neither are going to play a lot - one won't even crack the second unit - but having those youthful legs (alongside Jalen Bridges) is exactly the burst of enthusiasm this group needs to get them through a long campaign. Another important element that was missing last season, when it has to be mentioned again the Suns weren't all the bad.

More than anything though, Booker looks like he's about to take that final leap to ascend to top five player in the league status. The Olympics sure looked like a preview of what's to come, and "I'll do it" might just become the rallying cry of this franchise. If their superstar can play a more minimal role for Team USA to win gold, what excuse do the role players in Phoenix have?

Yes the Suns aren't the defending champion Boston Celtics, and they're not even the Timberwolves, Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder or Golden State Warriors. Yet the disrespect is still crazy right now. Let fans continue to sleep on this group though, we're keeping receipts ahead of the playoffs next year.