The Phoenix Suns ended last season with a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. It may have not been the outcome the Suns have wanted, but they still had a season to celebrate, making it to the playoffs for the first time since 2010 and the Finals for the first time since 1993.
Now, the Suns are on a mission to prove to the world that last year wasn’t just a fluke and with a returning all-star cast, they could actually make it back to the Finals this year.
We will be able to get a taste of what the Suns can offer with their first preseason game on Monday. They travel to take on the Sacramento Kings and then return home to host the Los Angeles Lakers on October 6. All of this is in preparation for the start of the regular season, where the Suns play their first game of the season at home against the Denver Nuggets, making it a Western Conference Semifinals rematch.
Phoenix Suns Season Outlook
After the Suns went 8-0 in the bubble last summer, everyone was unsure how they would do when the regular season would start up again in December of 2020. Phoenix went on to surprise everyone with an incredible season and earned a trip to the playoffs as the second seed in the Western Conference.
The Suns went on to beat the Los Angeles Lakers in round 1 of the playoffs and then swept the Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals. After beating the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference Finals, the Suns went on to the Finals. After a 2-0 start against the Bucks, they ended up losing their last four games and losing the Finals in game 6.
Even though the Suns are in a tough division, they are still expected to make it to the playoffs this year, with high hopes of making it back to the Finals, and finally winning it. The Suns have never won a championship, even though they have had three trips to the Finals.
But the Suns have something that puts them ahead of other teams and that is their leadership. Coach Monty Williams has a strong connection to his players and that has been a factor in the Sun’s success last season. On top of the coaches, veteran player Chris Paul adds a huge dynamic to the Suns, helping mold the young players on the roster.
Notable Roster Changes
Luckily, much of the Suns’ roster will be returning this year including Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, Dario Saric, Frank Kaminsky, Cameron Payne, and Cameron Johnson.
The team did lose Jevon Carter, E’Twaun Moore, and Torrey Craig. But they added JaVale McGee, Landry Shamet, and Chandler Hutchinson.
With some players being so young on the roster, Deandre Ayton is only 23, Booker isn’t even 25 yet, and Mikal Bridges is only 25, we will most likely see some improvement from these already impressive players.
Booker doesn’t need much improvement, but Ayton is looking to improve his game after making some costly mistakes last season. With Paul’s influence along with Coach Williams’ leadership, these young players will no doubt make progress.
Phoenix Suns Sports Betting Odds
The Suns may have gone to the Finals last year, but they sure aren’t getting the love from sports betting apps.
DraftKings have the Suns at +200 to win the division and +700 to win the Western Conference. As for the Finals, DraftKings have them at +1700, coming in behind the Brooklyn Nets (+200), the Los Angeles Lakers (+400), the Milwaukee Bucks (+900), the Golden State Warriors (+1100), and the Utah Jazz (+1500).
As for MVP, Devin Booker is the Suns player with the best odds. Caesars has Booker at +2000 to take home MVP.
It will be interesting to see how the Suns do this season. But with most of the team returning, the Suns are looking to have another successful year, hopefully winning an NBA Championship at the end.
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