The Evolution of the Suns and the NBA Landscape

After 34 games, the Phoenix Suns, along with the rest of the NBA, are beginning to reveal their true identities. Patterns are emerging, tendencies are becoming clear, and the teams’ personalities are taking shape night after night. While there’s still a long season ahead, with many games left to play and potential transactions waiting in the wings, it’s now the time when the fog starts to lift. What was once just a theory is starting to become a habit.

The Suns have shown consistent performance over their last six games, aligning with what we’ve seen all season. They handle the teams they’re expected to beat, compete against the top-tier teams, but often struggle to secure the final victory. Their record reflects this pattern: 20-14 overall. Against teams with losing records, they are dominant, posting an impressive 13-4 record. However, when facing teams with winning records, they falter, holding a 7-10 record in those matchups. This places them in the familiar territory of the seventh seed, but the real question remains: who exactly are they?

They are more than just an overachieving curiosity or a fun surprise. At the top of the league, only a few teams stand out—Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and Detroit make up the first tier. Below them, teams like the Knicks, Rockets, and Nuggets have real championship aspirations. Further down, the picture becomes less clear. Boston and Toronto exist in a gray area where everything would need to fall perfectly for them to succeed. The Lakers have a strong record but feel fragile, while Minnesota appears more solid than their numbers suggest.

Then there’s the third and fourth tiers, where the Suns currently reside. Teams like Philadelphia, Miami, Cleveland, Orlando, and Golden State are built to matter. They have the capability to make noise and potentially win a round or two, but they’re still searching for that final piece that turns a season into something significant.

For Phoenix, there’s still room for growth. There’s plenty of runway left, and if the second half of the season goes well, or if a key transaction falls into place, they could climb a couple of tiers. Some luck will help, but much of it will be self-made. Many of these third and fourth-tier teams will be aggressive buyers at the trade deadline.

However, the Suns are in a different position. They don’t need to be aggressive at the deadline. Why? Because they haven’t been whole all season. Jalen Green has been missing most of the year, playing only five quarters. Grayson Allen, the fourth-highest-paid player on the roster, has also been largely unavailable. For a team in the middle of a transformational transition year, they are ahead of schedule. A team I would have placed closer to the fifth tier before the season started now has a realistic path upward.

This path isn’t complicated. First, get healthy. It’s hard to compete with teams like Cleveland when $50.2 million of payroll is wearing warmups instead of uniforms. Second, start beating teams with better records. That’s how tiers change.

Despite this, the Suns won’t talk about tiers. This season, like this weekly exercise, lives in smaller pieces. One game, one road trip, one month at a time. Handle what’s in front of you, stack progress, and let the bigger picture take care of itself. That’s how Phoenix should approach it, and that’s how they will.

In the big picture, this season has been worth leaning into. Even if it doesn’t end with confetti and a parade, the course correction of this franchise has been genuinely enjoyable. Watching a team rediscover purpose, effort, and personality beats wandering the wilderness every time.

I’m grateful that Phoenix didn’t sink into the sixth tier this year, which is occupied by the Hornets, Nets, Wizards, Pacers, Kings, and Pelicans. I spend time lurking in opposing team subreddits. Trust me. Those places are bleak, dark, and spirit-draining. Credit to the Kings, who at least meet the misery with gallows humor and self-awareness. Still, I’m glad that’s not our reality this season.