Should We Be Worried About The Phoenix Suns After Recent Preseason Loss?

Losing 134-124 to the Adelaide 36ers of the NBL in their preseason opener, is it time to start worrying about the Phoenix Suns heading into the 2022-23 season?

In the Eastern Conference, the Brooklyn Nets dominated headlines this offseason given all the drama that surrounded All-Stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but in the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns could not escape the negative publicity.

Between Deandre Ayton’s contract situation and the investigation that surrounded former owner Robert Sarver, the Suns had a lot going on and now all of the negative energy has seemed to return after their recent defeat in their preseason opener.

On Sunday, the Suns lost at home to the Adelaide 36ers, an Australian professional team from the National Basketball League (NBL) that was invited to play Phoenix in a preseason game this year.

The 36ers defeated the Suns 134-124, a score that many did not see coming.

After losing by 33 points in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals to the Dallas Mavericks last year, a game that ended their hopes of making it back to the NBA Finals, the Suns are now being questioned heading into the 2022-23 season after this loss on Sunday.

Have we seen the peak of the Suns? What’s going on with Devin Booker and Chris Paul? Does Deandre Ayton want to still be in Phoenix? Has Phoenix given up on Monty Williams as their head coach?

These are all outrageous questions being thrown at Phoenix right now after a loss in the preseason. Yes, you heard that right, a single loss in the preseason has sent NBA fans into a frenzy.

The @Adelaide36ers take down the Suns in Phoenix, 134-124 😮 #NBAPreseason

Craig Randall II: 35 PTS, 9 3PM

Robert Franks: 32 PTS, 6 3PM pic.twitter.com/lsjV7m6MLm

— NBA TV (@NBATV) October 3, 2022

Obviously people will overreact to this sort of loss, as no NBA team should be losing to any team from any other league, but two things stand out here.

The first is that the 36ers simply played better and the second is that this is the NBA preseason!

Winning games right now means absolutely nothing and since this was their first real action in months, the Suns really did not play their starters that long. In fact, each of their five starters only played about half the game and Phoenix starting-five did look good together in their limited minutes.

There is absolutely zero reason to worry about the Phoenix Suns right now, especially since they just won a franchise record 64 games last season. This team could start the year losing each of their first five games and there would still be nothing to worry about!

Devin Booker and Chris Paul make up one of the better backcourts in the entire league, Deandre Ayton is already a Top-10 player at his position at 24-years-old and Mikal Bridges is a potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

Expect the Suns to once again to a top-tier team in the Western Conference and if there is anything we can take away from this opening loss in the preseason for Phoenix, it is that they will use it as extra motivation heading into the 2022-23 NBA season.