You wouldn’t have predicted it a few years ago but the Phoenix Suns are now one of the best teams in the entire NBA.
After coming close to winning the Finals last season, the Suns are still an extremely explosive and competitive team and are currently second in the Western Conference with a 20-4 record.
They also set a record for winning 18 games in a row earlier this season.
There are few teams as scary and menacing to the rest of the league as the Suns but it wasn’t always this way since just a few years ago they were at the bottom of the rankings.
How did the Suns perform such a transformation?
CP3 To The Rescue
In 2019, Chris Paul was sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder after a failed two-season stint for the Houston Rockets with James Harden.
It looked like Paul was reaching the end of his career and that his glory days were behind him.
But then something crazy happened: Paul came back to life in OKC and actually made the team competitive again.
Paul was a suddenly hot commodity and was searching for a new team to help him finally secure his first championship ring.
Because of the promising Suns lineup and Paul’s relationship with coach Monty Williams, Paul circled Phoenix on the map.
Paul’s move to Phoenix has truly changed the team and turned them into the Finals contenders that they are.
He is averaging 14.6 points, four rebounds, and 10 assists a game but Paul’s power lies in more than just his numbers.
Chris Paul…What a move.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 16, 2021
Paul is a team leader and is helping the young squad step it up to new levels.
As coach Williams put it when speaking to Sports Illustrated:
“He’s improved the winning mentality. All of our guys want to win. But when you see a guy that has done it from afar and then you look at how he does it, from his diet to the exercise routine he has every day, and then in game when he’s able to be in those situations and really lift the level of our team, it’s pretty cool to watch.”
The Suns needed someone to guide them on the floor and show them their true potential – Paul did just that.
Booker Is Red Hot
Of course, the Suns wouldn’t be where they are if it wasn’t for shooting guard Devin Booker.
Booker averages 23.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.5 assists a game with a three-point percentage of 40.3.
He has become one of the most explosive and incredible shooters in the league, someone who can seemingly sink a shot from anywhere on the court.
But Booker is also pretty formidable with his defensive skills too and that leads us to our last point.
They’re On Both Sides Of The Court
The Suns are now known as one of the most remarkable offensive teams in the league.
However, they are also a defensive powerhouse.
For example, Deandre Ayton is achieving an impressive 11 rebounds a night, eight of them being defensive.
NOT HERE BOI!!! 🙅♂️❌🚫
🇧🇸DeAndre Ayton with the block!#OneSportingCaribbean #ValleyProud #NBATwitter #NBA #CaribbeanHoops #Basketball
— Unveil+ (@unveilplus) December 7, 2021
Even the smaller players on the team are known for scoring and blocking.
The Suns are more than a team that can shoot fast from anywhere on the court, they can also block almost anything that comes their way.
This is partly due to their speed: the Suns are faster than nearly any other team in the NBA.
In other words, the Suns are able to land an exceptional shot on one side of the court and then race down to the other and steal the ball back (they’re fourth in the league for steals with an average of nine per game).
Some teams in the NBA rely solely on offensive power and some rely solely on defensive power.
Through hard work and perseverance, the Suns have become a team that does it all.
NEXT: 2 Reasons The Suns Are The NBA's Best Team
