A piece by Jacob Nelson
The Phoenix Suns are good now? I think these words to myself every few games when the suns go in and beat another team. What the hell happened? Why are we winning? Why were we losing? How did we get here?
The Phoenix Suns were one of the most dominant and revolutionary teams of the mid-2000s. Led by the 2-time-MVP Steve Nash, big man Amar’e Stoudemire, French forward Boris Diaw, and lockdown defender Shawn Marion. All masterfully coached by Mike D’Antoni and the forward-thinking seven seconds or less offense. This team went on to legendary battles against Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan. Unfortunately, this team never made the finals, and after their dominance, they soon collapsed.
In 2012, former MVP and face of the franchise Steve Nash was traded for two 1st, and two 2nd draft picks. Bad signings, awful, greedy trades, and draft picks that aged like moldy bread. The Phoenix Suns have fallen from grace and now entered; The Dark Age.
The Dark Ages
The beginning of The Dark Age was the end of Nash’s time in Phoenix. The suns tried to sign Luis Scola, Goran Dragic’ and Michael Beasley. Then they sent a few mediocre players for draft picks (which they squandered). The next few years were complete pain: no significant signings, no major trades, and no playoff appearances. From 2011 to 2020, the Suns went 266-477 with five years with less than 30 wins. All this sucking should at least lead to draft picks. You know? “Trust the process” Yeah, no one told Phoenix that you have draft NBA caliber players in the draft.
Since the Nash trade, the Suns had 25 draft picks. 16 of those players drafted are either out of the league or don’t see consistent playing time. Markieff Morris, Alex Len, and Bogdan Bogdanovic were some of the few ‘successful’ players who no longer play with the Suns. But, even the darkest tunnels have a light at the end. And out of the plethora of suck, 2 draft picks, 2 of the 25, ended up becoming stars. Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. The pair, dubbed to be the next “Kobe and Shaq” of the 2020s.
The Light at The Tunnel
“With the 13th pick in the 2015 NBA draft, The Phoenix Suns select Devin Booker from the University of Kentucky.” For the first time in years, the Suns have heard good news. The young shooting guard came into the league with plenty of praise and expectations for the league. The rookie campaign was quiet, putting up 13 points with a mere 48% effective field goal. But next year, Booker put his name on the map. Bumping up to 22 points per game and emerging as a young star for the suns. For most players, the story would be of continual development and skill progression. Working hard until they peak and find their role in the NBA. Unlike most young stars, Devin Booker did one thing: no player besides Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlin did.
In only his third year in the league, Devin Booker scored 70 points against the Boston Celtics at the age of twenty. For the first time in years, people were talking about us. #Suns was trending on Twitter. ESPN actually talked about a team not led by LeBron James. Even members on Instagram talked about the Suns. For the first time in what felt like forever, the Phoenix Suns received national and social media attention.
Devin Booker proved that he could live up to the hype and be a star in this league. Devin bumped his scoring up to 26 points per game while also averaging 6 assists and 4 rebounds. All while shooting nearly 54 percent effective field goal percentage. In 2018, at the age of 22, before he even received an all-star nomination, the Phoenix Suns gave Devin Booker a 5 year, 158 million dollar contract. Devin would continue to live up to the hype, becoming an all-star in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Phoenix had finally found the first real star since Steve Nash.
Kobe and Shaq?
Every star needs a wingman, a right-hand man, to carry the team when the star is down. Wilt had West, Jordan had Pippen, LeBron had Wade. And now, Booker has Ayton. In 2018, the Phoenix Suns took DeAndre Ayton with the first overall pick. ( I don’t want to talk about how we could have had Luka Doncic or Trae Young). Ayton put up a strong rookie campaign. Putting up 16 and 10, showing that he already has a developed finishing and rebound game. Ayton ended up being third in rookie of the year voting. The following year, Ayton improved his defense and increased his scoring and rebounding, showing that he can be a top center in the league. This year has been, controversial to say the least. Suns fans are split as Ayton has shown a slight regression from the year before. With his stats stagnating, or falling off from the year before.
Now Ayton is an anomaly. One game, he looks like a star, bullying others down low, and being a great lob target to the likes of Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan. But in other games, he looks like he’s scared of a pillow. His play is ineffective, and to the point where Dario Saric is a better option. But, it is up to Ayton himself to decide what he wants to be. Does he want to be the center leading Phoenix into the 2020s, or will he be another athletic 7-footer?
One more anomaly…
On March 11th, 2020 the NBA did something unprecedented. In the middle of the season, Adam Silver shut down the league, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For half a year, the season sat in limbo, will the NBA come back? Will there be a champion? The questions were answered when the NBA announced they would be operating the rest of the season in a bubble, in Orlando, Florida. The bubble was a relief for sports fans everywhere. For the first time in over half a year, we saw live, actual sports. And the bubble ended up providing some of the best basketball the NBA has ever seen. For Suns fans, the bubble means one thing; 8-0.
Phoenix was not expected to be good, let alone great. They hardly were even invited into the bubble. The expectations of many were for Phoenix to go winless and be an embarrassment. But, The Valley of The Sun proved to do anything but that. The Suns won all eight games out of nowhere, a feat no other team went on to do. The Wizards, Mavericks, Clippers, Pacers, Heat, Thunder, and 76ers all lost to the bubble suns. And thanks to the Clippers, Devin Booker hit one of the best buzzer beaters in NBA history over two legendary defenders in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Post Bubble
Due to a very close miss by Caris LeVert, the Phoenix Suns narrowly missed the playoffs. But that doesn’t make this season a disappointment. The Suns were given expectations; for the very first time, people expected something besides bottom-dwelling. Dare I saw *gasp* playoffs!? Phoenix heard of the expectations and decided to do something for once.
The Offseason
The Suns traded for the aging point guard, Chris Paul. Who, despite his 16th year in the league, is not only useful, but a star player. Along with him, the Suns added valuable role players such as Dario Saric, Jae Crowder, Langston Galloway, and Frank Kaminsky. While these names sound small, the difference they made was nothing anyone would expect.
The New Year
All the pieces are in place. A new star, a new coach, a star just ready to enter the prime of the year, and the best jersey in the NBA. Everything was set for a comeback year for the Suns. The Suns did something terrific, they continued the bubble momentum, and started the year 5-1. Phoenix did something incredibly risky and gave the fans hope. The Suns continued putting the heat on, at one point, winning 9 of 10 games. And then recently, winning 8 of 10. And now, the Phoenix Suns are sitting at 30 and 14. No, I did not put those numbers backwards. The Phoenix Suns have the 3rd best record in the league.
A Winning Culture
Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Head Coach Monty Williams quickly instilled a culture of winning, and success. Suns players are happy, and want to be in Phoenix. Booker is continuing to develop, and gained an all star position. Chris Paul has showed that he ages like fine wine, and is a leader on and off the court. Someone whose very presence makes the players around him better. Monty Williams is in talks for coach of the year, both Booker and Paul are flirting with All-NBA nominations.
What Now?
The Suns are one of the hottest teams in the league. Not just led by star power, but with strong coaching, a winning culture, and a deep bench that plays to win. The Suns will not only squeak into the playoffs, but they are also likely to finish top three into the tough Western Conference. The Suns have proven that they can not only compete with, but defeat the top dogs. All the Suns can do now his stay healthy, continue fighting, and not get complacent. They may not have an all-time, 30 points per game scorer leading the team, but they have heart, and they have a culture where they can compete with anyone. Phoenix is dangerous, and the teams that continue to sleep on them will be the teams watching Phoenix from the couch.
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