Life is good for the Phoenix Suns right now. Even as the schedule starts to get tougher, they continue to win games against more fancied opponents.
They are 2-0 in Emirates NBA Cup action after recently beating the Minnesota Timberwolves, while victory over a San Antonio Spurs team without Victor Wembanyama is still no easy task.
Bill Simmons provides Sun’s terrible dose of reality.
So of course it would be none other than Bill Simmons by The bell who would come along and put the franchise back down to earth.
He recently had Zach Lowe on his podcast to break down each team’s League Pass rankings, and he took this opportunity to remind Suns owner Mat Ishbia that the organization is still in a bad spot entirely due to him.
Simmons is correct in his assessment that the team is much more likeable this season and that they could reach 35-40 wins and are certainly on pace for that at the moment.
But he also rightly made the point that while Ishbia felt the Suns are turning into what he promised this offseason as a defensive powerhouse, the future remains bleak.
The majority of their upcoming first-round draft picks have either been traded or could be traded when the time comes. It’s great to have Devin Booker so involved, and to be above league average on both ends of the court without Jalen Green is outstanding.
But it’s not like role players like Grayson Allen and Collin Gillespie are overachieving before reality sets in.
Where Simmons could still be proven wrong, however, is the fact that the lack of draft equity didn’t allow the Suns to improve as quickly after trading away Kevin Durant.
The most important piece of the puzzle was getting head coach Jordan Ott, who could certainly get some Coach of the Year buzz.
The Durant trade that got them Green and Dillon Brooks doesn’t look like a disaster (although Green should be back on the field soon to contribute), while Mark Williams’ move hasn’t blown up in their faces either.
If anything, coach Ott has solved the dilemma of not playing perfectly in back-to-backs.
So while it would be great to know their own draft picks are coming, as long as the front office can take steps to keep the roster competitive and Booker involved, Ishbia can continue to feel good about The Valley’s change of direction.
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