The Timeline taught us everything we need to know about youth

You want youth? You want a full rebuild? How soon you forget…

They say youth is wasted on the young, but in today’s NBA, youth is the currency of contention. The league has evolved, and with it, the rules of roster building. The new collective bargaining agreement, born from the dominance of superteams like the 2010s Warriors, was designed to curb the unchecked stacking of max-contract talent. Golden State’s effortless addition of Kevin Durant, aided by a swelling salary cap and minimal restrictions, broke the system. And the league responded.

Now, tax aprons have replaced loopholes. Layered penalties await those who dare to build top-heavy rosters, from shrinking trade flexibility to compromised draft capital. The message is clear: long-term sustainability requires balance. In this new era, youth, versatility, and financial discipline aren’t just luxuries. They’re prerequisites for survival.

What we’re witnessing in the NBA right now is a singular moment, one where pricey elite talent alone is no longer enough. The modern game demands more. It demands balance. A championship-caliber roster must now pair star power with youth and athleticism, because today’s game is faster, more dynamic, and increasingly punishing for aging legs. In this landscape, youth isn’t just an advantage. It’s a necessity.

But let’s be clear: youth isn’t the answer. It’s part of the equation, not the entire solution.

That’s a misconception starting to creep into the Suns’ discourse, as fans and analysts alike try to chart a path forward this offseason. The desire for younger, fresher legs is valid. But so is the need for experience, leadership, and players who know how to win. Building a contender isn’t about hitting a reset button. It’s about finding the right blend.

I often point to the Oklahoma City Thunder as the model many envision when discussing a potential rebuild. After the 2018–19 season—another early playoff exit despite a 49-33 record and two superstars in Paul George and Russell Westbrook—OKC chose to blow it up. They leaned all the way in, embracing youth, patience, and the long game.

And yes, it paid off.

The trade that sent Paul George to the Clippers brought back a mountain of draft capital—and, more importantly, a rising star in Shea Gilgeous-Alexander, who has since blossomed into an MVP-caliber player. With savvy drafting and a commitment to development, the Thunder executed one of the most successful modern rebuilds in recent memory.

But I always caution: that’s the exception, not the rule.

We’ve seen this movie before in Phoenix. In the mid-2010s, the Suns put their chips on youth and development and called it “The Timeline.” The promise was tantalizing. But the result? One All-Star. Just one. Devin Booker emerged from that era as the lone gem. And outside of him, no Suns draft pick since 2003 has cracked an All-Star roster.

The romantic idea of the rebuild is compelling—clean slates, potential, cap space—but history reminds us it’s more mirage than guarantee.

So you want youth, right? The Suns had youth. And plenty of it. They played hard. They hustled. They showed flashes. But let’s not fall into the trap of revisionist history and pretend that era was something we enjoyed. It was painful. It was raw. It was frustrating basketball masked as a developmental arc.

That team had energy but no real direction. It had youth, yes. But it lacked talent, experience, and the intangible understanding of how to win. We celebrated moral victories because there were no actual ones. That period wasn’t a launchpad. It was a grind. A necessary chapter, perhaps, but far from a fond memory. It’s a place I do not want to return to.

Below are the highlights…for a team that won 24 games.

Youth on its own is not a blueprint. It’s a component. Without the right infrastructure, leadership, and support, it’s just noise.

The key to success moving forward is balance. Not just in age, but in every facet of the game. Talent, athleticism, youth, rebounding, shot-making, clutch performance, leadership, and defensive intensity. It’s a delicate equation with countless variables, and any team aspiring for sustained success must find harmony among them.

Those who believe youth is the singular answer—citing the rise of the Oklahoma City Thunder or the growth of the Houston Rockets—need to remember: youth is for the young. It doesn’t guarantee maturity. It doesn’t promise winning. It’s just one piece of a much larger puzzle.

What the new collective bargaining agreement has done is layer complexity on top of already intricate roster-building strategies. The Suns, in their pursuit of instant gratification, mortgaged their future for a present that now feels outdated. The all-in model—one built around aging stars, limited depth, and rigid cap constraints—no longer holds water in today’s NBA. It’s a relic of a bygone era. And in trying to win now, Phoenix may have missed its window to build what comes next.

So yes, some believe that blowing it up is the answer. That holding onto Devin Booker at this stage in his career is simply delaying the inevitable. And maybe they’re right. Only one team lifts the trophy each season, so the odds are always stacked against you.

But even knowing that, I’d rather take the swing. I’d rather see Devin Booker with a retooled roster, pushing toward contention over the next three seasons, than press the hard reset button now and step into the unknown.

You don’t walk away from an All-Star lightly. You build around him. Intelligently, deliberately, with the lessons of the past in hand. Because history has shown us this: multiple draft picks don’t guarantee All-Stars. Youth doesn’t promise success. And hope, while a tempting currency, often returns diminishing value without a foundation to support it.

The Suns have that foundation in Devin Booker. The challenge isn’t whether to tear it all down. It’s whether they can finally build it up the right way.

---

Listen to the latest podcast episode of the Suns JAM Session Podcast below. Stay up to date on every episode, subscribe to the pod on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Podbean, Castbox.

Please subscribe, rate, and review.