The Phoenix Suns will not make the NBA Playoffs in 2018-19
The Phoenix Suns will not make the playoffs this upcoming season. Despite having a solid off season in which the Suns made Deandre Ayton the number overall pick, there won’t be enough room for them to get into the NBA Playoffs
I know many Phoenix Suns fans expect big things this year. The Suns had multiple picks in the lottery which created a ton of excitement for the future of this franchise. However, before you start walking or running you have to crawl first.
Things are looking up for Phoenix, but the playoffs won’t happen for them this year.
Why?
Youth and inexperience. Plain and simple.
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Phoenix already has a superstar in Devin Booker. The Suns have the number three pick from 2017 draft in Josh Jackson. Phoenix signed free agent, Trevor Ariza, away from Houston. Plus, the Suns made a draft day deal for Mikal Bridges from Villanova University.
Outside of Tyson Chandler (years ago) and more recently Trevor Ariza when he was with Houston, the Suns have nobody that knows what it takes to get to the playoffs. Nobody on the Suns knows what it takes to be successful in the playoffs.
Youth can be a tricky thing for a team. The Suns are no different.
The last three years for the Suns have just been a disaster. Phoenix has a combined record of 68-178 over the past three seasons.
As a matter of fact, since 2010, the last time Phoenix made the playoffs, the Suns are a combined 253-387.
The Suns should be setting their sights on a 35-37 win total for the upcoming season. That would be a realistic goal to set if I am head coach Igor Kokoskov and GM Ryan McDonough.
Another aspect of this Suns upcoming season that the fans need to take into consideration is that the Western Conference in the NBA is stacked. It has been for awhile now. To break through after only winning 21 games last season would be asking a little to much. Especially from a team that is even younger than last years team.
Devin Booker is obviously the marquee name for Phoenix, but right now he doesn’t exactly have a running mate to help him get this team to the playoffs.
Rome wasn’t built by one guy.
Next summer there are a bevy of big name free agents that’ll be on the market. Who knows what type of recruiting that Booker did while he was with USA Basketball in Las Vegas.
Will Karl-Anthony Towns want to join his former Kentucky Wildcat teammate in Phoenix? Would Jimmy Butler want to come down to the Valley of the Sun? Does Kemba Walker want to join forces with Booker? What about Klay Thompson?
One thing is for sure though, Phoenix is going to have show improvement this season for any of those big name players to even take a meeting with the head brass of the Phoenix Suns.
I don’t think the Suns make the playoffs this season, but if they jump from 21 wins to 35 wins that may catch the eye of the top players in the league.
Deandre Ayton is going to have to play like a beast right out of the gate for the Suns. Devin Booker will have to take that next step and play like a top-5 player to help his team get to the point where they are knocking on the door of the playoffs. Josh Jackson has to show that he can hit an outside shot. Marquese Chriss needs to show why he was a lottery pick.
Don’t get me started with Dragan Bender.
Teams like Portland, Denver, San Antonio would have to take a major step back next season for the Suns to even get a whiff of the playoffs.
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Plus, the Lakers will be making a push for the playoffs now that they have LeBron James leading the team.
There will be plenty of teams in the West that will be vying for those last spots in the playoffs. The Suns will not be one of them. Phoenix will rise from their ashes, but it’s not their time to shine bright just yet.