Round of previous NBA 2022-23 Phoenix Suns. Data, results from the previous season, a look at their roster and their future free agents, the goals of the course, the player to watch and a forecast on the franchise.
Alone Fenice
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- Movements in the market: Renewal by Deandre Ayton, extension by Devin Booker, additions by Damion Lee, Josh Okogie (all movements here).
- Backcourt: Chris Paul, Cameron Payne, Landry Shamet, Devin Booker, Damion Lee, Ishmail Wainright (two-way), Duane Washington Jr. (two-way).
- Attack court: Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, Cameron Johnson, Torrey Craig, Josh Okogie, Dario Saric, Deandre Ayton, Bismack Biyombo.
So they face the season
It is difficult to face these suns. Just six months ago, they were deservedly considered the best team in the NBA. At the moment they are not even among the five favorites for the title (according to bets) and there are not a few who foresee that the project could be at its end. Is this loss of confidence justified? What happened so that those in Arizona are like that right now?
Well, several things, the first of her Slovenian is called Luka Doncic. While it’s true that Phoenix was already coming out of a first-round series against New Orleans where he hadn’t been the regular season reel, factors like the loss of Booker seemed to justify the series going to six games, and it was hard to anticipate. a defeat in the conference semifinals to a Mavericks who had led 12 wins regular season. But the fact is, they didn’t just lose.
That Game 7 where Dallas went on to win up to 46 points is one of the closest things that exist to seeing a team crumble live and directly. It was a blow that also led to moments of personal tension, as it seems that the relationship between Deandre Ayton and Monty Williams was also damaged that day.
However, it’s true that canceling a team due to a poor playoff streak is reckless to say the least. Something similar happened to Bucks and Antetokounmpo with the 4-1 defeat to the Heat in 2020, after which many critical voices were raised that questioned the ability of the team and the Greek to win a ring they would finish. to win in just one year .after. However, there are contexts that more likely than others allow a team to recover from such a blow, and in Phoenix they didn’t have an easy time this summer.
And it is that Ayton’s issue was far from over in that seventh game. After deciding not to extend the contract in 2021, this summer the Suns let go of the market center as a limited free agent, which led the player to accept a maximum offer with the Pacers which the Arizonans apparently do not. they were willing to offer. you. However, to avoid his departure at no cost, they ended up matching Indiana’s proposal and ensured the continuity of the player, who however does not seem particularly thrilled to be back in Phoenix and to have spent the summer without talking to his. coach after the accident. they had in the last game. And in this context, it’s hard not to wonder how much this can impact your performance and that of your team.
The scandal of Robert Sarver, whose conduct as a starter of the team cost him a fine of 10 million from the NBA and who, after pressure from many members of the league, is about to sell, has not helped to calm the waters . franchising. While this scandal was resolved relatively quickly (pending the sale), it caused a stir in the team that continues to this day, as it’s still hard to talk about Phoenix without this issue coming to mind. . And while it is true that theoretically it has no impact on the sporting side, it does not help build an environment to recover from what happened in the last postseason.
And as a third destabilizing element, the news came just days before the preseason began that Jae Crowder would be leaving the team waiting to be transferred. Apparently the striker wanted to keep a starting role that the Suns intend to give Cameron Johnson, and while that’s a common reason, the ways aren’t quite. The inability to put him in another role, the decision to completely remove him from the team … It’s not the way to handle the things you might imagine in a locker room where they all go together. But is it an individual Crowder question or not?
All these are elements that perhaps separately would not have an excessive weight, but which together have generated a rarefied atmosphere that the journalists present at the media day they claimed to perceive Time has passed, but perhaps not enough for staff to work as if nothing had happened. But for now we can only speculate.
That said, the truth is that if we stick to the sport strictly, there is little reason to doubt this team. The squad that ended the season 21-22 with a 64-18 draw is practically intact, and the automatisms that worked so well and made the team look like a clockwork mechanism should continue to do so. The problem is that there is a lot of noise around the set. And we’ve all seen how this kind of external situation can affect a group.
Phoenix seems like one of those situations where the way you start the year can make a difference. If everything goes back to the way it was a few months ago, no one will care what Ayton agreed with the Pacers, where Crowder plays or what the future holds for Sarver. If, on the other hand, the departure is more hesitant, the avalanche effect can put the season in check. They have the quality to reach the top; the rest, can not accompany.
the player to watch
For many reasons, the man most eyes will fall on is Deandre Ayton. And not just for the aforementioned non-sporting reasons, but because the Suns’ commitment to ensuring its continuity has been strong, and they are obligated to justify it.
There were doubts, both inside and outside the franchise, as to whether the center was a player worthy of a maximum contract. If he believed that was the case, Phoenix could have put the offer on the table a year ago, signed it, and we’d be talking about a very different player-franchise relationship. However, they let him go to the market waiting for others to put a price on him and running the risk of him trying to go elsewhere. And from those muds, these muds.
There is no doubt about Ayton’s abilities, since in fact he has been a fundamental pillar of the success of these Suns in recent years. His positional intelligence and ability to finish close to the edge make him a perfect companion for a defense court which generates many situations and attracts a lot of attention, but this contract no longer accepts half measures. This contract no longer accepts ups and downs. And obviously this contract doesn’t allow me to play 17 minutes in a anymore Game 7 due to problems with the coach.
For all of the above, both her performance and her involvement will be followed more closely than ever. If things go well, in a few months it will not matter how its renovation took place. If not, there is history for a while.
NBA preview 2022-23 Phoenix Suns, the prediction
Elio Martínez, director of nbamaniacs, leaves a personal and subjective forecast of what he thinks each franchise will do during the season in the previous NBA 2022-23.
I think my favorite sport this preseason has been lowering the expectations of a lot of teams compared to last year. With the Suns I will not be outdone. I see them as less favorites for the title than last year – and who isn’t after the blow given to them by the Mavs – and with a few less joy in the regular season. Prediction: 54 wins, second-best NBA record tied with the Bucks.
Previous team analyzed: Memphis Grizzlies.
(Cover photo: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)
