Phoenix Suns: Context is needed when assigning proper expectations for 2022
Context is needed to find reasonable expectations for the Phoenix Suns heading into the 2021-22 season.
While making a quick inventory around the Western Conference, it’s nearly impossible to set fair expectations for the Phoenix Suns heading into the 2021-22 NBA season.
And that’s the case for a myriad of reasons.
For one, there are intangibles that simply can’t be measured after what transpired during the 2021 NBA playoffs. With the first of such being injuries.
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During the 2021 playoffs, we saw a number of injuries that dramatically impacted the outcome of the postseason. Simply amongst the Suns‘ opponents in the playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers had a hobbled LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Denver Nuggets were without Jamal Murray, and the LA Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard.
Whether you believe the narrative or not, it’s pretty clear that the Suns absolutely benefited from the injuries that took place just before or during the postseason. Add in the fact that the Suns, for the most part, we’re relatively healthy throughout their playoff run and it adds import context in trying to assign reasonable expectations for the team heading into the 2021-22 season.
This is not to say that the Suns’ run to the NBA Finals was a fluke per se, but it just adds important context that is necessary when we try to value what Phoenix is at this point in their development as a championship contender.
For example, a case can be made that if it weren’t for an injury to AD, that the Suns would’ve lost to the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. Let’s remember, the Lakers actually led that series 2-1 before Davis‘ injury. After the injury, the Lakers had no shot but I’m not sure that still would’ve been the case if AD never got injured.
Would the Nuggets have been a bigger test for the Suns in the conference semifinals? Absolutely. Would they have beaten the Suns? Who knows? In the conference finals, do the Clippers prevail in that series if Kawhi never gets injured?
These are all important questions that don’t exactly change the way we think back on the 2020-21 season for the Suns, but absolutely help us project what we can fairly expect from this team this upcoming season.
What are reasonable expectations for the Phoenix Suns?
After a trip to the NBA Finals, this could be complicated to answer. As is the case to a certain extent for every NBA Finalist, almost everything had to go right for the Suns to make the deep playoff run that they made.
They needed a clean sheet as it pertained to injury and then needed some help in that aspect. Additionally, the addition of Chris Paul couldn’t have worked out any better. He was the perfect point guard, leader, and star that this team needed beside Devin Booker and the rising Deandre Ayton.
The team’s supporting cast also played brilliantly in spurts during the postseason. Even though they kind of fell apart in the NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks, everything we right for the Suns during the playoffs.
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Even though the Suns are returning essentially the same roster, it would be unfair to expect a similar result in the postseason compared to last season. That is, of course, unless everything is going to fall in Phoenix’s direction for a second-straight season.