Evaluating Strengths of 2023-24 Phoenix Suns

The Suns' ability to shoot the ball might be what makes them the most dangerous. Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal are three of the strongest shot creators in the NBA, which concurrently opens things up for the myriad of shooters around the three. 

Eric Gordon, Yuta Watanabe, Grayson Allen, Keita Bates-Diop and more are consistently proficient shooters from deep. This is possibly the single biggest improvement the franchise made from last season to this one. 

Playmaking

A concern basketball fans and media members had with this version of the Suns is the lack of a pure point guard on the roster with the departure of Chris Paul. 

No Paul, no problem for Phoenix so far. 

The idea of Phoenix bringing in Beal was that he would be another "selfless star"- a player who takes their fair share of shots, but also doesn't frequently force the issue on-ball, is a willing off-ball player, and simply just utilizes high-IQ to generate offense. 

Beal, Durant and Booker are all top-20 playmakers in the league as well, so the lack of a "true" point guard doesn't seem to be as much of a detriment as one may have thought previously. 

The silver lining of this arrangement is James Jones likely has the ability to make a traditional point guard acquisition prior to the trade deadline if things aren't working out as well as expected.

Depth

Phoenix has a very deep roster going into the new year, a far cry from last year when fans were debating whether Landry Shamet or a disappointing Terrence Ross should get the bulk of the 2-guard playoff minutes. 

General manager James Jones did an amazing job targeting and acquiring bargain-bin free agents, and the Suns have a roster that could truthfully run 12-deep. Eric Gordon, Grayson Allen, and Yuta Watanabe headline the depth, but unsung heroes such as Jordan Goodwin, who had a very impressive Suns debut last week. 

Even Chemeize Metu, who was seen as a throwaway signing when free agency began, has been very impressive, especially as a shooter and switchable forward on defense. 

Coaching

As previously alluded to , first-year head coach Frank Vogel and his staff already appears to be a breath of fresh air for the new-look Suns. Suns fans can be appreciative of the contributions Monty Williams made to shifting the culture to a winning one, and for the NBA Finals run in 2021 while also acknowledging many of his philosophies were far too rigid. 

There just wasn't enough innovation from the newly minted Pistons head coach, and that's why a change was made. 

Vogel's defensive scheme appears to be getting picked up quickly by the team, and the offense appears to be as potent as ever. Retaining Kevin Young while also adding proven basketball minds in David Fizdale and Miles Simon was an absolute steal for Vogel and the front office. 

Coaching certainly matters in basketball, much more than some would like to acknowledge, and the adaptability the coaching staff is a big strength of the team coming into the season.