The Phoenix Suns have been playing with house money all season, thanks to being better than anybody could have anticipated and having a roster of hungry players who try hard each night.
Not that they've gotten national attention for this terribly often, but that has changed with where the Suns rank on Marc Stein's power poll coming out of the All-Star break.
Suns fully deserving of sitting in 11th spot and frisky label
Stein doing the right thing by having the Suns in 11th, ahead of more fancied organizations such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic, with Stein himself having this to say -
The NBA is back with 10 games tonight.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 19, 2026
The Committee (of One) is back with 4,000+ words of Power Rankings to get you ready for the regular season stretch run: https://t.co/lZBGJCfl4a pic.twitter.com/83znL4hSL2
"The Coach of the Year race is going to be a crowded one as always, but the Suns' Jordan Ott has to be up there as a top contender alongside the likes of Detroit's J.B. Bickerstaff, Boston's Joe Mazzulla, San Antonio's Mitch Johnson and Charlotte's Charles Lee. Dare we say that Dillon Brooks had a strong All-Star case too."
So when you've got a first time head coach in Jordan Ott who is getting Coach of the Year buzz, plus a guy in Dillon Brooks who is proving everybody wrong, you know you're onto something.
But the Suns have somehow in only a matter of months found that sweet spot of being what experts like to call "frisky".
That is to say they're a tough out every night, have genuine talent in Devin Booker and Jalen Green, and are ahead of schedule given most thought they would finish bottom of the Western Conference.
To be in a playoff race while not having control of most of their draft picks for the rest of this decade is a minor miracle, and at this point it looks like they will actually make the postseason.
Should they get that far then fans will be happy with a tough first round series that they ultimately lose. That's the frisky tag in full flow, and it is the best place to be given what they've been through.
There's zero expectations to win a championship, so to be competitive is already a plus, while they also have youngsters in Ryan Dunn, Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach who they hope will improve.
Mark Williams and Collin Gillespie are also having career years, while the time for chasing stars and going all in at the wrong times looks to be over.
To be called the 11th best team this season is an amazing achievement, although it does come with a word of warning.
Expectations will shift if the Suns do make the playoffs, but for now enjoy being in that hard to reach spot of being ahead of where you're supposed to be and having the fans fully engaged. It sadly can't last forever.