How about that headline?
Of course at a glance, the expectation is to win a championship for the first time in franchise history.
But is this roster ready to make that happen by June 2025?
Yes it is. There is no excuse to fall short this year.
Of course there’s internal questions.
- Will Bradley Beal excel as the third best player and play a sort of “swiss-army knife” role?
- Can rookie Ryan Dunn become the best “3-and-D” wing player off the bench?
- Will Jusuf Nurkic lockdown the paint, while also fitting into Budenholzer’s team philosophy of shooting more threes?
- Will going from 24th in three point attempts per game last season to potentially top-5 in that category bring better results?
- Can Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant all stay healthy and play 60+ games together?
- Is Tyus Jones truly the difference maker for this offense to reach its full potential?
And external questions too:
- Is Oklahoma City going to make a jump to become the best team?
- Is Minnesota taking a step back after the KAT trade?
- Will Denver still be elite?
- Can any surprise teams win the west?
The Suns open the season tonight in Los Angeles against the Clippers without Kawhi Leonard.
Let’s check back in on this team at Christmas to see where the chemistry stands. I think by then most of the above questions will have answers too.
My guess: they’ll be overcoming some bumps early but will be grooving by December 25 to become a top three seed in the West. If not, conversations around this team won’t be easy to have for many Suns fans.
Jordan Spurgeon
