Why Suns Will (or Won't) Win 2023 NBA Finals

The Suns are one of the championship favorites in the 2023 field. There's much to be excited about with this team, but there is some room for concern on the flip side.

The Phoenix Suns enter the 2023 postseason with +400 odds to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy in June, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. These odds are longer than only the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. The Suns are also considered favorites to win the Western Conference, according to most sports books and analysts. 

Although there's a lot to like about this Suns team, and there is reason to be optimistic about this team's fortunes, the optimism doesn't come without concern. There are many arguments for and against this team fulfilling it's goal, but only the three most prominent will be covered here.

Reason #1 for Suns Winning Title: Dynamic Duo

The duo of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker is seemingly a perfect match on the court. The duo averages around 54 points, 10 assists, and 10 boards a game in the eight games played together, per Statmuse. The sample size is small, but Durant and Booker both are players who have proven to be ball dominant without compromising the good of the team. Both are willing passers and defenders, while their scoring styles make it easy for them to play off of each other. This duo will be immensely difficult to gameplay for.

Reason #1 Against Suns Winning Title: Big Man Rotation

This is largely focused on Deandre Ayton. Ayton averaged a double double this season, and has generally performed well in his two postseasons. Despite those two points, many of the concerns that have plagued Ayton through the first five seasons of his career still remain. Ayton's rim protection has taken a dip in the last year, and the former number 1 pick continues to be criticized for the perceived lack of aggressiveness offensively. He is very skilled in the post and has a sweet touch on mid range jumpers, but should be expected to physically assert his dominance more often at 7"1' 260 pounds. Bismack Biyombo and Jock Landale both have their own set of limitations that could be poked at in non-Ayton minutes as well.

Reason #2 for Suns Winning: Chris Paul Turning Back the Clock

This may seem like a cop-out answer, but the Suns point guard just had possibly the worst season of his career. This is combined with the fact that he probably has more pressure than anyone else in the postseason to win a ring makes him a real wild card. The 13-time All-Star has given Suns fans a reason for hope in the closing weeks of the season with several impressive scoring and facilitating performances. The fact that he's now the third and maybe even fourth option in the offense makes his ability to pick his spots in the mid range and take catch-and-shoot threes when presented the opportunity all the more intriguing.

Reason #2 Against Suns Winning: Potential of Not Having Home-Court in a Round

The Suns went a modest 17-24 on the road this season. No team has ever won an NBA title when finishing worse than 21-20 on the road in the regular season. The Suns are a vet-laden team chock full of experience and can certainly steal home court back from a team. The concern is that Denver, Sacramento, and to a lesser extent, Memphis are all hostile environments that would instantly put a target on the team's back. All the pressure would be on the Suns to deliver on stealing a road game and taking control of the series.

Reason #3 for Suns Winning: Underrated Wing Depth

T.J. Warren, Terrence Ross, Torrey Craig and Josh Okogie are all players who can influence the outcome of games in different ways. Warren and Ross are bucket-getters who can get hot and make it even more difficult to contain the potent Suns' offense. Craig and Okogie are enforcers who will almost always try their hardest to make the winning play, even if it doesn't show up on the stat sheet. These four could prove to be players who contribute in huge ways that give the Suns an edge in any series.

Reason #3 Against Suns Winning: Strength of Finals Matchup

While the Suns' path in the Western Conference could be fairly clean, the Eastern Conference is a complete bloodbath. The Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers all have reasons to believe they can make it out of the East. While one could argue these teams will physically wear each other down in long series, all of those teams won over 50 games for a reason. All three teams have a top 10 player and worthy sidekick. All three teams have different wrinkles they can throw at the Suns to make life difficult.