Just about everything has gone wrong for the Suns of late. What if things change?
What if things start to go right for the Phoenix Suns?
What if this summer is later talked about being “the” offseason that changed everything for the better?
What if this group of misfits, castoffs, and young talent with a chip on their shoulder comes together and forms a team we unexpectedly fall in love with?
The past couple of years have been filled with negativity, failure, false hope, undelivered promises, and underwhelming basketball. We were promised a championship contender, and got an embarrassment.
Now, we’re expecting nothing, and we’re due for a pleasant surprise. We are due, dammit.
We’ve written enough about the (totally warranted) negative stuff.
Let’s bask in this alternate timeline for a bit.
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Things Finally Go Right
Devin Booker rises to superstardom and takes “the leap” in his age-28 season (29 in October). Jalen Green thrives alongside Booker, offering a dynamic scoring punch while sharing the playmaking duties.
Make no mistake, the Suns’ success relies heavily on the seasons that these two guards have. As they go, the Suns will go. They have some competent complementary pieces around them to act as support, but the bulk of the offensive workload will be on these four shoulders.
In this alternate reality, they not only click, they thrive.
This quote from Jalen Green stuck out to me: “I got a team out in Phoenix who wants me to be me. I get to play alongside one of the best in the game in Book. It’s another opportunity to build a winning culture. Another opportunity to show people how deep my love for this game really is. And another opportunity to shut up y’all petty-ass haters, too. (I see everything, and I thank you for it.)”
That’s the type of energy that we need. This duo is the most important piece when it comes to everything “going right”. How does an efficient 48 points per game combined sound?
Dillon Brooks always plays with an edge.
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He will be the glue that ignites the fire in this team. The chip on his shoulder will be massive, and the ferocity will be infectious. They needed a Dillon Brooks last year. And the year before that.
Ryan Dunn, alongside him on the wing, will be thrilling. The defense. The hustle. The grit and toughness. Brooks will have his best year yet, and Dunn’s sophomore year will be strong as his confidence grows. Oh, and since we’re here, let’s add that Dunn’s shot comes around to a tune of a 38% clip from deep. Wishful thinking? EXACTLY. Things are going right, remember?
This Brooks/Dunn duo will do all of the things that Booker and Green don’t do. The star support.
Next, we have Mark Williams.
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The big fella stays healthy and proves the Hornets gave up on him too soon. At just 23 years old, Williams has shown some serious potential, but with that comes concerns about underwhelming defense, rim protection (relative to expectations), and durability.
In this world, we can chalk up those defensive lapses to the poor environment and fixable bad habits. This fresh start gives him a chance to build into the player he’s always wanted to become. It starts with the best ability: availability. What if he plays 70 games? Let’s start with that.
His fellow Duke center, Khaman Maluach, comes into the equation as a super raw but talented backup rookie big man.
The Phoenix Suns have an abundance of wingspans between these two. 15 feet and 1 inch, to be exact. LIMBS!
Rookie of the Year? No. Williams was too healthy for that, remember? As a reserve, he shows massive potential and, while raw and developing, provides Suns fans with glimpses of greatness in his ~15-20 minutes a night.
48 minutes of length and productivity at the center position? Sign us up.
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Oh, Nick Richards! We didn’t forget about him. In the 12 games Williams misses and any time there’s foul trouble or rookie struggles from Khaman, he steps in seamlessly as a depth piece. Now that’s a luxury they haven’t had in some time.
At least one of Rasheer Fleming or Koby Brea (maybe both) looks like an absolute steal. We’re getting greedy if we ask for more than that. But remember, this is if things work out.
Brea continues to shoot the cover off the ball, and Fleming shows (in spurts) that he has two-way potential.
Then there’s Collin Gillespie, who comes into his own and turns into their own version of a TJ McConnell/Payton Pritchard hybrid, bringing stability off the bench.
Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale (who many think are gone) both return and shoot the lights out. Allen returns to his 2023-24 form and reminds Suns fans why they were so high on him before he became a bodybuilder last summer.
Oso Ighodaro makes a leap in a suddenly crowded center rotation by carving out some minutes at the 4. Nigel Hayes cuts into some of Oso’s time because he was the bargain signing of the summer.
Man, Jordan Ott’s job is getting difficult with all of these home runs he has to manage. This rotation is loaded.
He is in the running for Coach of the Year since things are clicking, after all.
Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images
What if this team starts off hot and doesn’t look back?
The chemistry is there. The talent is there. The edge and intensity are there. The fans start to get hooked on a brand of basketball that embodies the city of Phoenix. Grit. Resilience. Dare we say the “P” word?
What if the stars align for the Suns, just this once?
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