9. Phoenix Suns
When healthy, the Phoenix Suns have an offense that can keep pace with any other team in the league. And while the Suns have been healthy of late, it's hard to consistently rely on this team emerging as a real contender heading into the postseason. For now, as they still have much to prove, they are a team that should be on everyone's radar. Looking at the West standings, at best, the Suns are going to finish as the 5th seed. That is going to make a difficult road for Phoenix in the postseason.
If there's any team that could potentially embrace this difficult path, it's going to be a team led by Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. Making a solid move at the trade deadline, to bring in Royce O'Neale, the Suns are preparing to make a surprise run in the West playoffs.
The final stretch of the season will be key for the Suns and should tell us all we need to know when it comes to answering the question of whether Phoenix is going to be a legit contender or not.