With the Phoenix Suns’ impressive national television take down of the no.1 seed Golden State Warriors last night, the Suns are officially have the best record in the NBA. Perhaps even more impressive, their 18-3 record includes a 17 ongoing win streak. Their impressive start to the season has NBA fans asking, “just how good are the 2022 Phoenix Suns”? Are they as impressive as their record indicates; better than last year?
Can the 2022 Phoenix Suns finish the mission they failed in the 2021 NBA finals?
I’ll be discussing the legitimacy of the 2021-2022 Phoenix Suns. You can participate in the debate by joining our NBA discord community!
Let’s dive in and discuss just how good the 2022 Phoenix Suns are.
First, let’s examine how they’ve found success this season.
If you’ve been following Per Sources for a while, you are aware of the four most critical stats I monitor.
Here is how the 2022 Phoenix Suns rank in those advanced stats:
- OFF RTG: 7th (7th last season)
- DEF RTG: 2nd (6th last season)
- AST%: 7th (9th last season)
- 3P%: 7th (7th last season)
As you guys can see, the Phoenix Suns are very consistent with their performance last season. With a consistent roster and head coach, the Suns are benefiting from continuity, while also improving in a few key areas.
The 2022 Phoenix Suns have several roleplayers leading the way in advanced stats critical roles.
- Player Impact Rating: JaVale McGee (7th)
- Defensive Rating: Cameron Payne (3rd) & Cameron Johnson (9th)
- Net Rating: JaVale McGee (8th) & Mikal Bridges (10th)
Chris Paul and Mikal Bridges both rank top 7 in the +/- category.
While Chris Paul and Booker continue to have MVP level performances, Deandre Ayton continues to develop and impress under the radar.
When examining how good the 2022 Phoenix Suns really are, it is easy to identify that they have the tools to win it all, at least on paper.
They’re doing everything they did well last year, much earlier in the year. They have the perfect blend of youth and veteran leadership. They have young stars who are hitting their prime. Only time will tell if they have what it takes to win it all.
Personally, I’m not optimistic about their championship legitimacy.
What made the Bucks a nightmare matchup for Phoenix in the NBA finals was Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday’s physical dominance. Chris Paul has yet to prove that he can get through an entire season, including playoffs, healthy. The Suns have struggled in the past when facing physical teams.
Motivated teams can go on impressive win streaks during the regular season when the rest of the league is still figuring stuff out. In the playoffs, you’re going to get every team’s best.
The 2022 Phoenix Suns are good, just not good enough yet.
The Phoenix Suns can score the basketball in multiple difference ways and defend at a high level. They’re a decent passing team, but not an all time great passing team. Championship teams that weren’t elite passers relied on guys like LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard down the stretch. Teams like the Spurs, Mavericks, and Warriors were elite at passing, even down the stretch.
In order for the Suns to win the championship, the Suns either need to become an even better passing team, or Devin Booker needs to prove that he can be an elite closer down the stretch. He’s going to need to take over games down the stretch when the Suns are struggling.
Yes, the 2022 Phoenix Suns are good, great even. However, they still have some improvement to do if they’re going to represent the western conference in the NBA finals again.
Join the debate via our NBA discord community! Let me know what you think.