Five months ago, Bill Simmons and Ryen Russillo discussed the Phoenix Suns’ future on The Bill Simmons Podcast. It’s painful for me to agree, but they’re right. The Suns’ championship window is closed.
With how things ended for the Suns in the 2022 NBA Playoffs, it’s hard to imagine how they’ll be able to bounce back from an embarrassing finish. They were favorites to match up against the Golden State Warriors in the conference finals, but it never materialized. They were pushed around by Luka Doncic during the conference semis. On top of that, the chemistry between Deandre Ayton and head coach Monty Williams became a massive reason for their downfall.
For the upcoming 2022-23 NBA season, Suns fans should brace themselves for a wild year. The team will try and compete in the tough Western Conference. However, their efforts won’t mean much. Here are some of the reasons why.
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Chris Paul’s age will play a vast role in the Phoenix Suns’ future
The 2022-23 season will be Chris Paul’s 18th year in the league. It’s an incredible accomplishment for a player of his caliber. Over his last few seasons, he showed everyone he’s still capable of leading a team.
That’s enough reason why the Suns traded for him ahead of the 2020-21 season. With his addition, the team was able to return to the playoffs after a 10-year drought. An even grander achievement for the team is when they reached the NBA Finals in Paul’s first year with them. He also helped Devin Booker become an All-Star in the league.
However, the 12-time All-Star is already 37 years old. His age has caused his body to fail him at times. His constant hamstring injuries in the past have made him easily vulnerable as a player. Just in their 2021 run to the finals, he injured his right wrist and wasn’t very effective for the team. He turned the ball over numerous times and hurt the team badly.
For this season, the Suns still rely on the 11-time All-NBA to lead them. It’s not entirely terrible. But even with the team’s world-class medical team, Paul’s body could fail him at any moment. Additionally, they’re still high on Cameron Payne. If Payne is the team’s backup plan in the future, they’re doomed to fail.
Chris Paul is still a great player and an effective one at best. But his injuries could cause the Suns to underperform during the postseason.
Related: 2022-23 stat predictions for Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker
The Phoenix Suns have a serious chemistry issue
The Suns ended their postseason run as one of the major topics around the league. Their shameful collapse against the Dallas Mavericks was one of the worst in recent history. I still haven’t gotten over it.
The team’s starting center Deandre Ayton and head coach Monty Williams have a grave issue. According to interviews, the two haven’t talked to each other after their Game 7 loss in the semis. Now, if you have a player and a coach that doesn’t communicate, it’ll lead to disaster.
The team hasn’t moved on from their mediocre performance in the playoffs. During their preseason game against the Adelaide 36ers, the Suns lost despite having all five starters playing. They lost to a non-NBA team that isn’t even the best in the National Basketball League (NBL). It was sad to watch the Suns get beaten during an exhibition game.
Maybe some of you are thinking, “It’s just an exhibition game. It’s not that big a deal.” But it is. It’s an enormous deal. To most fans, it’s a preview of how the team is confident coming into the 2022-23 season. And the Suns have lost their confidence and chemistry with each other.
On top of that, the starting lineup doesn’t look good. Promoting Cameron Johnson to the starting lineup has given the team another scoring option. But it has also given Mikal Bridges more burden on the defense. Johnson isn’t a great defender, and that’s why the Suns acquired Jae Crowder two seasons ago. His defensive instincts gave Ayton and Bridges breathing room on the defensive side of the floor. Now that Crowder is demanding a trade, compromising their defense this season.
The solution for these Phoenix Suns
A lot is going on in Phoenix. Without the communication between Ayton and Williams, the Suns won’t be a threat in the West. They can still keep their window to win open, but they’ll have to execute every step flawlessly. It’s not enough for the team to win games in the regular season. Their success should transition to the postseason.