The Phoenix Suns Futures Odds (BetDSI Sportsbook)
Phoenix Suns to win the Pacific Division: +25000
Phoenix Suns to win the Western Conference: +35000
Phoenix Suns to win the NBA Championship: +75000
Phoenix Suns Season Total Win Prediction: Total 26 (Over -165, Under +135)
The Phoenix Suns were among the worst teams in the league in 2016/17 as only the Brooklyn Nets recorded fewer victories. The Suns ended in the last position in the Western Conference with just 24 wins, and the situation is not quite bright for them ahead of the new campaign. They are one of the weakest teams in the West at the moment, and it seems that will not change in the near future, so the Suns’ fans should prepare for another frustrating season.
Phoenix failed to add a big name to their roster this offseason, but they got the rookie Josh Jackson who could become an integral part of the squad in 2017/18. On the other hand, the Suns kept the core of the team, but after their display last year, nobody expects them to suddenly play much better this time around. The franchise is going through the transition, and it looks that they will be way out of the playoff picture for the next couple of years unless something drastic happens in the midseason and they acquire a significant reinforcement, in which I personally don’t believe.
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The 2017/2018 Phoenix Suns Roster
Arrivals: Josh Jackson, Davon Reed, Alec Peters, Mike James.
Departures: Leandro Barbosa, Ronnie Price.
The Phoenix Suns selected Josh Jackson with the 4th pick overall in the 2017 NBA Draft and signed a contract with him this July. Jackson impressed for the Suns during the 2017 NBA Summer League, averaging 17.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.2 spg, and 1.0 bpg in 35.0 mpg, and earned the All-Summer League First Team honors. The small forward also had a great 2016/17 season with the Kansas Jayhawks, averaging 16.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.7 spg, and 1.1 bpg in 30.8 mpg. Jackson represented the US national team at U17 and U19 level, winning gold medals in the FIBA U17 World Championship (2014) and FIBA U19 World Championship (2015). The San Diego native will be a starter at SF position ahead of TJ Warren and Derrick Jones Jr. and is expected to be a candidate for Rookie of the Year Award.
Davon Reed is another rookie who joined the Suns after they selected him with the 32nd pick overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. The shooting guard spent the previous four years with the Miami Hurricanes, and in 2016/17, he averaged 14.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, and 1.3 spg in 35.3 mpg. Reed participated in the 2017 NBA Summer League and played well, averaging 14.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.2 apg, and 1.2 spg, but suffered a serious knee injury, so will be forced to miss 4-6 months following surgery on his left meniscus. When he returns to the floor, Reed will serve as the No. 3 option at SG position, behind Devin Booker and Elijah Millsap.
Alec Peters was selected with the 54th pick by the Suns, but he missed out on the 2017 NBA Summer League due to right leg fracture. He played for the Valparaiso Crusaders in previous four years and impressed in 2016/17, averaging 23.0 ppg, 10.1 rpg, and 2.2 apg in 35.1 mpg. Peters can play both small forward and power forward positions, and when he returns from injury, I am sure he will find a place on the roster. Mike James spent the last five years in Europe, where he played for several teams, including Laboral Kutxa Baskonia, and most recently, Panathinaikos. In 2016/17, James won the Greek League and Greek Cup and was named the Greek League Most Spectacular Player. Mike signed a two-way contract with Phoenix and their NBA G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns, but the point guard could be summoned to play for Phoenix following Brandon Knight’s season-ending injury.
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
| Eric Bledsoe | Devin Booker | Josh Jackson | Marquese Chriss | Tyson Chandler |
| Brandon Knight | Elijah Millsap | TJ Warren | Jared Dudley | Alan Williams |
| Tyler Ulis | Davon Reed | Derrick Jones Jr. | Dragan Bender | Alex Len |
Leandro Barbosa became a free agent following his second stint with the Suns. He averaged 6.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg, and 1.2 apg in 14.4 mpg in 2016/17, his eighth season with Phoenix, as he played for the Suns in his first seven years in the NBA. Ronnie Price will also test the free agency after two years with the Suns, but the 34-year-old point guard didn’t make an impact last season, appearing in only 14 matches and averaging just 9.6 minutes per contest.
So, Phoenix parted ways with a pair of veterans from the backcourt and instead added some fresh blood to the roster. In fact, the Suns have one of the youngest squads in the NBA, and although there’s a lot of talent, the team still needs a lot to do before playing a significant role in the league.
In addition to the rookies who came to the desert, the Suns managed to extend the deals with a pair of centers – Alex Len and Alan Williams. Len will continue to represent Phoenix after four years, and although he was selected with the 5th pick overall in the 2013 NBA Draft, the Ukrainian failed to fulfill his potential. Maybe because he is still behind the veteran Tyson Chandler in the pecking order, but after four years in the NBA, Len had to improve. He averaged 8.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, and 1.3 bpg in 20.3 mpg in 2016/17. Len is still a relatively young player (24), but unless he has a breakthrough season in 2017/18, I think he will be just another average NBA center, and could even end up in Europe.
The reason for Len’s lack of progress in last two years is not only Tyson Chandler. Alan Williams emerged as the No. 2 option below the rims in 2016/17, averaging 7.4 ppg and 6.2 rpg in 15.1 mpg. The Suns signed a new, multi-year contract with Williams, who should receive more minutes in this campaign, but both Williams and Len will split minutes as Chandler still holds the starting place.
The Suns are going to be in lots of trouble to move from the bottom of the Western Conference, especially after one of their key players – Brandon Knight, suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during a charity game in Florida this summer. Knight will miss the entire 2017/18 season, and his points off the bench will surely be missed. Although his numbers drastically dropped in 2016/17, Knight is still an important player for the Suns, and with Davon Reed’s injury, Phoenix will have a limited backcourt to work with, so they will heavily rely on Bledsoe and Booker, which can be problematic. Without Knight in the squad, Booker and Bledsoe will continue to carry the team forward, while the rookie small forward Josh Jackson could be quite useful in the offense.
Booker and Bledsoe are one of the best backcourt duos in the NBA, but the thing is, the Suns don’t have other reliable options in the offense, and the upcoming season will likely end as the previous one. The pair averaged 43.2 ppg, 9.7 apg, 8.0 rpg, and 2.3 spg combined, and they are scoring between 40% and 50% of the Suns’ points. If one of them is forced to miss time on the sidelines, the Suns are doomed, but even with both of them healthy and on the floor, I can’t see how Phoenix will record more than 30 wins.
The Bottom Line and Total Win Prediction
The Phoenix Suns got rid of the deadwood in the team and added young and talented players from this year’s NBA Draft, but they will also be without Brandon Knight for the season, so I am not optimistic about their chances to escape from the bottom of the Western Conference. I suppose they will struggle throughout the new campaign and the bookies share my opinion as they placed Phoenix as the last team in the West, alongside the Sacramento Kings. Only Brooklyn and Orlando are rated lower than the Suns at the moment, and it is no surprise why the BetDSI Sportsbook set the number of season wins at 26. Considering that the Suns recorded just 24 victories in 2016/17, I believe this team cannot win more than 25 matches, so I advise you to go with under on this one.
Season total wins: Under 26 wins (+135)
