by James Finneral
The Phoenix Suns proved to be a legitimate team last year as they were the first team to miss the playoffs. This young Phoenix roster is full of talent and athleticism and they have to be fired up for the upcoming season.
The main reason why the Suns were successful last year was because of their strong back-court. The Phoenix back-court was lead by Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe. Neither of these guys were well known players in the league until they came together on the Suns. Dragic and Bledsoe are great compliments to each other because they can both score, but they both prefer to make the extra pass for the team to get a better shot. Bledsoe is the X factor for the Suns this year. After being Chris Paul's backup in Los Angeles for a while Bledsoe stepped up big time starting for the Suns and averaging 17 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds per game. It is obvious that Dragic is going to perform well this year, but Bledsoe needs to keep up his production and stay healthy for the Suns to improve this year. Luckily, to put insurance on their back-court the Suns signed former Kings point guard, Isaiah Thomas. Thomas is an electric point guard who can provide points and assists. Thomas will be a nice replacement if Bledsoe goes down and he will probably see time anyways no matter what. The Sun's guards will be great this year especially if everyone stays healthy.
The Suns have also been able to develop great big men that lock down on the defensive end. Both Miles Plumlee and Markieff Morris have made huge strides in the past year to help the Suns on defense as well as offense. After coming out of Duke, Miles Plumlee spent plenty of time on the court as well as in the weight room. Over his first few years in the NBA, Plumlee has turned into an absolute beast, leading the Suns in rebounds with nearly 8 a night. As for Morris he spent his college career overshadowed by his brother Marcus, who is also on the Suns. Through his hard work and determination Morris was able to surpass his brother and will most likely have the starting power forward spot on this Suns team. Morris is steadily becoming a multi dimensional forward. Morris is a beast on the glass, but he can also step out and knock down jumpers from outside the paint. Morris was one of the top candidates for the Sixth Man of the Year Award and his statistics will improve this year because he will get more time. Both of the Sun's big men have unreal potential and they will need to live up to it for the Suns to succeed.
All the pieces are there, the Suns just need to stay healthy and they will have a very successful season. They are a well balanced team who can compete with nearly any team in the league. My prediction is that the Suns will lock up the final playoff spot in the Western Conference and they're only going to get better from there.
Potential Starting Lineup:
PG: Goran Dragic
SG: Eric Bledsoe
SF: P.J. Tucker
PF: Markieff Morris
C: Miles Plumlee
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