The case for the Phoenix Suns winning more than 31 games this season

Although the 2025-26 NBA season is still far off in the distance, already many odds makers have predicted how many games the Phoenix Suns are going to win next season. To the surprise of nobody, the fact they've lost Kevin Durant - and less importantly Bradley Beal - has meant this number has taken a substancial hit.

Then again - when you win only 36 games with those two alongside Devin Booker - you know changes have to be made anyway. Which is why the figure of 31 games (we've also seen it as low as 29 and as high as 31.5) feels about right for a roster that has traded away star power for questionable depth and fit with the addition of Jalen Green. Dillon Brooks is going to be nice though.

Suns can easily blow by their 31 win total prediction.

But while there are plenty out there who think the Suns are going to suck - many of their own fans are even here for it if it means a more enjoyable and relatable product on the court - three key factors are working in their favor to ensure this may not be the case. The first is simple and doesn't need much explanation, a Booker revenge tour.

He's only made All-NBA twice in his career and wasn't even an All-Star last time out. At 28-years-old and given the keys to the franchise once more, expect his offensive exploits alone to will his team to some wins. This is still the guy who once hung 70 on the Boston Celtics. Next up is the 3-point shooting of the wider roster, with most of those guys back again for another season.

Obviously having Durant both space the court for teammates and make some of those shots - he was a scorching 43 percent on six attempts per game - helps massively, but Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale are still here. So too is Booker, although the 33.2 percent of a season ago surely has to improve. Yet despite that number, the Suns were third in makes from deep last season (37.8 percent).

There is reason to believe the team can still be above league average in that area, which would do wonders for their offensive rating. Brooks notched a shade under 40 percent with the Houston Rockets, and you know he too is going to be a help. If Booker can catch fire and the shooters around him hit their shots, the Suns can enter a play-in race.

It is the defensive end where they are going to catch opponents off guard though, and make Footprint Center an awful place to visit. Last season they allowed 117.7 points per game - the fourth worst mark in the entire league - but there will be no need to worry about that this time out. This roster has some dogs on it, starting with Brooks but including Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro.

Center Khaman Maluach is as raw as they come and is only 18-years-old, but his frame and size alone will help to protect the rim some. Backup point guard Collin Gillespie will give up his body each night, while Mark Williams is a super addition if he can stay healthy. Even Nigel Hayes-Davis could chip in on a possession or two.

So while the Suns may have lost a superstar in Durant, there's reason to believe they've become a more balanced outfit on both ends of the court. They will miss his scoring - he bailed them out of so many poor possessions - but that 31 game mark feels like a hurdle they can get past if this all falls into the place the way it looks like it could.