What to Expect From Suns as New Season Begins

The Suns' path this season should be much easier to map out.

Oct 17, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) looks on against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns are just a day away from opening up the 2024-25 campaign on the road before debuting at home on Saturday night against the Dallas Mavericks.

There has been much polarization surrounding what to expect from Phoenix - both early on and over the course of the 82-game slate - but this revamped roster should be much more consistent compared to the preceding one.

Three things that can be expected of the Suns from now until April:

Expect Quick Start

The ebbs and flows of the regular season will likely lead to Phoenix slipping in some contests they aren't expected to do so, but the slate from now until the end of November should bring a blend of truly challenging rubber matches with contests that should result in victories.

The Suns are set to face the Los Angeles Clippers sans Kawhi Leonard twice in the first week + change of the season, while also running into the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, and Brooklyn Nets.

They will surely be tested for a majority of the first month, but timely home-heavy slots of the schedule - particularly the one from November 18-December 3 - will bode well for a start that could look much different compared to the tepid one last year.

50 Wins Feels Safe

The Suns' over/under win total has typically come in at between 46.5 and 48.5 throughout the offseason. That simply feels like a major underestimate of what is to come.

The Suns rallied late in the season to finish with 49 victories in a season that saw historically poor fourth quarter offensive outputs, 30 missed games from Bradley Beal, and a bench that largely failed to function - only three key bench contributors from 2023-24 are set to factor in this year's rotation.

The presence of Tyus Jones and Monte Morris should indubitably improve the Suns' fortunes offensively, particularly in crunch time of games. The improved bench should even out the general huge gap in variance that the bench of last season provided. Beal may not play all 82 games, but he will also hopefully avoid as disastrous injury luck as he experienced last season.

This combined with the overhaul of the offensive system and the historic patterns of teams coached by Mike Budenholzer make it a safe bet that Phoenix will clear 50 wins.

Suns Will be Ready for Playoff Run

Phoenix was so caught up in pushing to avoid the play-in tournament that the roster was clearly drained come playoff time. They also went directly into a matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves that translated into a suboptimal matchup in a playoff setting.

The Suns have the depth, coaching, and cohesiveness that should translate to a much more smooth sailing regular season - and should, in turn, leave the squad more prepared for any potential playoff matchup.

That isn't to say Phoenix is "matchup-proof", but they should be well enough equipped to win at least one series and avoid any more embarrassing exits from playoff contention.

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