Phoenix Suns Set New Standard For Successful Rebuilds After Clinching NBA Finals Appearance
DALLAS, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 01: Devin Booker #1 celebrates the game winning shot with Deandre Ayton ... [+]
During the 2018-19 season, the Phoenix Suns finished off another losing season where they reached rock bottom finishing with a 19-63 record. Phoenix was stuck in proverbial quicksand with no way out.
Former Suns GM Ryan McDonough was fired during the preseason due to a true lack of urgency to improve Phoenix’s roster. The Suns entered the 2018-19 campaign with veteran backup journeyman Isaiah Canaan as their starting point guard on opening night. That should tell you about how the McDonough era went in Phoenix, which has many more layers to it as far as incompetence goes.
Outside of their exciting young core featuring Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges, there were no other pieces in place to support them.
This is where current Suns GM James Jones enters the picture. After the interim tag was ripped off for a permanent position following 2018-19, Jones made quick work overhauling Phoenix’s culture on all levels. As a former multi-time NBA champion who experienced excellence, Jones had a solid idea he wanted to implement in the Valley.
After McDonough swung-and-missed on first-time head coach Igor Kokoskov, Jones fired him after one season due to his inability to connect with players. A few weeks later, Jones was able to convince one of the hottest coaches on the open market to choose a proverbial bottom-feeder in Phoenix over leading LeBron James and eventually Anthony Davis with the Lakers.
Suns head coach Monty Williams has two quotes that are echoed by his players constantly, himself included, when speaking to the media:
“Everything is on the other side of hard.”
“Don’t get happy on the farm.”
Williams implemented a family-like culture in Phoenix that demanded hard work from his players. The difference in effort was immediate. It culminated with the Suns’ incredible 8-0 run inside the Disney World Bubble. Phoenix entered with no pressure being last among the 22 teams in Orlando for odds to make the playoffs. The Suns turned less than one percent odds to make the playoffs into watching Brooklyn vs. Portland on the final night to determine if they would make the inaugural play-in tournament.
Phoenix built upon their season-ending momentum with a massive offseason move. The Suns pushed their chips into the middle of the table for future NBA Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul. The winning mentality was cemented within the Suns’ young core, and Paul took notice from afar about how close this roster was to breaking through.
Paul’s prior relationships with Jones, Williams, and assistant GM Jeff Bower played a role in wanting to join what was bubbling up in the Valley. However, as Paul let known during the Western Conference Finals, he’s always loved the way their young superstar in Booker approaches the game. Before Booker even was drafted to Phoenix in 2015, Paul was a fan of his play during his one year at the University of Kentucky.
However, during the Suns’ rapid rise, two names can’t be forgotten: Kelly Oubre Jr. and Ricky Rubio. One of Jones’ first moves as interim GM was trading for Oubre Jr. from Washington. The infectious energy Oubre Jr. provided over his nearly two-year stint in Phoenix was immense. Alongside Rubio, who was the Suns’ big splash during free agency in 2019, these two helped an organization stuck in the gutter finally reach respectable levels.
Both Oubre Jr. and Rubio were part of the package Phoenix sent to Oklahoma City in exchange for Paul. Now, Phoenix was ready to take another step up the ladder to respectability in the NBA after acquiring Paul.
Another big 2020 offseason move, albeit underrated in the bigger picture, was signing veteran wing Jae Crowder to a 3-year deal in free agency. After receiving calls from over 20 teams in the early portions of free agency, Crowder decided to sign with Phoenix after Booker’s pitch to restore Phoenix basketball.
Paul and Crowder brought playoff experience, toughness, and leadership that was missing in the Suns’ locker room for years. This duo helped propel the Suns from picking No. 10 overall in last year’s draft to an NBA Finals berth.
Other names who have played vital roles to the Suns’ unbelievable turnaround are Cameron Johnson, Cameron Payne, Dario Saric, and Torrey Craig. The newly formed second unit after acquiring Craig for cash considerations at the trade deadline had so many moments where they provided ample boosts to Phoenix. And it continued in Game 6 when Craig shut down Paul George.
Phoenix missed the playoffs for 11 consecutive years. Now, they are favorites to win a title after reaching the NBA Finals.
Jones’ strategy to make the Suns a contender in short order paid off in spades. Phoenix’s young trio of Booker, Ayton, and Bridges have all taken steps forward. Booker is a bonafide superstar. Ayton has become one of the best two-way bigs in the Association. Bridges is on his way to becoming a consistent All-Defense player who provides sharpshooting from three-point range.
Add on top of their promising young core Paul and Crowder, Phoenix isn’t dropping off anytime soon. The roster building has been perfection. Blending win-now veterans with young talent in this manner has brought Phoenix out of the abyss into their first NBA Finals since 1993 after clinching the Western Conference Finals in Game 6 on the road at Staples Center.
When you add up how the Suns have reached where they are now, four wins away from hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy, it’s a rise that has never been seen before in NBA history. Looking like a juggernaut, going 12-4 in their first postseason appearance since 2010, the Suns have caught strong rhythm at the perfect time.
Chris Paul’s first Finals berth is now cemented. Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges have reached the biggest stage possible in their first ever postseason run. Suns basketball is officially back, and the Valley has been reenergized to full charge after being dormant since the 7 Seconds or Less era over a decade ago. Dethroning LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers, MVP Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets, and a tough Los Angeles Clippers roster led by Paul George was the Finals path Phoenix passed with resounding success.
Incredibly enough, the Phoenix Suns are only four wins away from their first title. All the steps along the way have thrusted Phoenix from a laughingstock to perennial contender. The Suns are now the perfect blueprint for teams to follow to go from the bottom to the very top.
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