We’re less than a month from the return of Phoenix Suns basketball…What? Didn’t they just get swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves a few weeks ago? Time flies. Hopefully, everyone in Suns Nation has at least accepted whatever last season was because it’s finally time to turn the page.
Training camp is just days away, and the preseason is nearly two weeks away. Here are three reasons why YOU should be excited for Suns Basketball this season.
Witnessing the greatness of Kevin Durant
How many NBA franchises can legitimately say they’ve employed a top-20 player of all time on their roster? Not many. The Phoenix Suns still employ Kevin Durant, who showed little signs of slowing down a season ago, and in this past summer’s Olympic games. The Slim Reaper turns 36 in just a few days, but he remains one of the best players in the NBA.
The Suns have had many rough seasons, ones where they struggled to win 20 games. If Phoenix struggles now, it’s to win a championship. The bar is higher nowadays. That can’t be taken for granted. I bet if you asked a Charlotte Hornets fan if they’d rather watch their team win 23 games for another year or see them blow a 2-0 lead in the Finals, they would choose the latter.
You can’t take greatness for granted. The fact that Durant wanted to be in the Valley and by all accounts appears to enjoy his time in Phoenix should be appreciated.
Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images
Devin Booker’s quest to become the franchise’s all-time leading scorer
If he averages around what he did a season ago, Devin Booker is on pace to become the Phoenix Suns’ all-time leading scorer at about the halfway point of the season. While his greatness, impact on the Arizona community, and leadership as a Phoenix Sun are already solidified in Suns’ history, his becoming the team’s all-time leading scorer, passing Walter Davis’ 15,666 points, will make him more iconic in the Valley’s record books.
It doesn’t need to happen for Booker to solidify his greatness, but it’s like Stephen Curry getting his Finals MVP in 2022, it just feels right.
Whether it happens on the road, or at home, it will be a big day in Suns history. Going into his 10th year, he is the longest-tenured Sun and will be one of seven current players in the NBA who is still with the same team that drafted them for at least 10 years.
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Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Having a point guard…Finally!
The additions of Tyus Jones and Monte Morris add more organization to the Suns’ offense. Last season, the team made turnovers happen like they were a pastry-making team and were a perpetual threat to blow a fourth-quarter lead.
Jones and Morris should help with those issues. They have elite assist-to-turnover ratios, and their experience playing with stars like Nikola Jokić, Ja Morant, and Jaren Jackson helps them understand what it takes to assist the Suns’ big three of Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker excel offensively.
Whether they lose in the first round or make the Finals, it should be a fun season in the Valley!
