After a hugely disappointing 2024-25 season in which the Phoenix Suns missed the playoffs under former championship head coach Mike Budenholzer (the team’s third coach in as many seasons) despite having Devin Booker and Kevin Durant on the roster, the Suns hit the reset button.
KD was traded again in a blockbuster deal sending him to the Houston Rockets. From there, first-year head coach Jordan Ott emphasized building a culture in Phoenix. With fresh faces like Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams in tow, he’s done just that.
The Suns have defied all expectations this season en route to a 19-14 record entering the new year — good for the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.
They hustle, compete and play hard every night, endearing them to the diehard fans who tune in to watch a team in the midst of a rebuild.
Taking a look back at 2025 as the new year rolls in, here’s a look at some of the stats that helped define Phoenix as they defy expectations and put themselves in the playoff mix.
10.7 steals per game
The most impressive turnaround for the Suns has come on the defensive end. Entering 2026, the Suns as a team average 10.7 steals per game, which is the best mark in basketball ahead of the reigning champion and defensive juggernaut Oklahoma City Thunder.
To put that in perspective, last season’s Suns squad averaged 7.2 steals per game. That tied them with the Boston Celtics for second-to-last in the NBA.
A remarkable turnaround indeed.
Royce O’Neale’s 95 3-pointers in 33 games
Despite the Suns breaking the team franchise record for 3-pointers made in a season for five consecutive years dating back to 2020-21, the individual Suns franchise record for 3s made in a single campaign has stood for 20 years.
Quentin “Q” Richardson set the standard with 226 treys during the inaugural “Run and Gun” Suns season of 2004-05 — Richardson’s only season spent in a Suns uniform before being traded to the New York Knicks.
That record could finally fall in 2026.
Royce O’Neale through 2025 has converted 95 triples in 33 games played. He’s making them at a career-best 42.4% clip. That puts O’Neale just outside of the top 20 shooters in the league by 3-point efficiency.
If he stays healthy (and doesn’t get traded before the deadline) O’Neale has a real chance at Q’s franchise record.
He’s on pace for 236 makes from long range, which would best Richardson’s mark by 10.
114.6 defensive rating
Moving from offense back to the defensive side of the ball, the Suns' defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) of 114.6 slots Phoenix No. 12 in the league.
That’s been a massive improvement from last season when the Suns ranked 28th in the league with a defensive rating of 119.3.
Having a rim protector like Williams on the back lines and a defensive pest like Brooks setting the standard, the Suns made quite the leap defensively in 2025.
Devin Booker’s 30.1% shooting from 3-point range
While the team 3-point shooting as well as that of O’Neale and Grayson Allen (when he’s been healthy) have been encouraging, D-Book’s 30.1% mark from beyond the arc sticks out for all the wrong reasons.
That efficiency, or lack thereof, from distance is by far a career-worst for the four-time All-Star. Book shot a career-best 38.3% from deep in 2021-22 and 2017-18, but even his career average of 35.2% from long range would be welcome compared to his consistent misfires from range this year.
Here’s hoping for a 3-point hot streak in 2026 for Book.
Collin Gillespie’s 54.7% shooting on catch-and-shoot 3s
From a bummer of a 3-point shooting stat to a high note, Gillespie makes up for Booker’s 2025 shortcomings from long range with video game-esque catch-and-shoot figures.
Gillespie has cashed more than half of his catch-and-shoot opportunities from deep this season (3.5 per game).
That’s the best percentage in all of basketball for guys who’ve played at least 10 games while attempting at least two catch-and-shoot triples per game — ahead of stars like Anthony Edwards for the Minnesota Timberwolves (51.6%) and Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets (51.3%).
Funnily enough, Suns center Mark Williams boasts a better percentage on catch-and-shoot 3s than Gillespie … at 100% … on his one and only attempt from beyond the arc.
The first half of the Suns’ season was in many ways defined by 3-point shooting and defense. Let’s hope that trend continues into 2026.