Suns Surprise in ESPN's NBA Simulated Season

The Phoenix Suns aren't quite at the bottom of the barrel.

Apr 4, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) during the second quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns, by most accounts, are projected to be near the bottom of the Western Conference in the 2025-26 season.

That's a result of a massive overhaul the past few months that now features a new general manager, first-time head coach and a roster that doesn't now possess Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.

While the Suns aren't projected to make a run to the NBA Finals, ESPN believes they won't be absolute awful either.

Suns Nearly Make Playoffs in Simulated Season

Sep 24, 2025; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1), forward Dillon Brooks (3) and guard Jalen Green (4) pose for portrait during Media Day at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Suns finished with a 42-40 record in ESPN's simulations, good enough for a spot in the play-in tournament as the No. 9 seed, though they would end up losing to the Sacramento Kings.

Phoenix gets off to a less-than-ideal start with a 10-16 record at Christmas time, though the course reverses by time the All-Star break rolled around with a 29-26 record and a 38-38 record as April arrived.

This outcome, given everything that's transpired over the last few months, would feel like a win for the Suns and a nice first step into the next phase of Devin Booker's career with the organization.

"We know the expectations aren't high," said Booker previously this year. "They're going to say we're a young team. It's the perfect seat to be in.

"... We'll continue to grow, and I'll understand how much my voice amongst the younger team that we have matters. It's my job to handle that."

When it comes to expectations this year, the Suns have been vocal about not measuring it in wins or losses given the current state of the organization.

"My expectations are: I hope that we win more games than we won last year. But the truth is, it's not going to be measured in wins and losses this year, but it is going to be measured in success. ... I promise to be more successful than last year in all aspects of it. Whether it's wins or losses, I'm not focusing on that exactly," Owner Mat Ishbia said at Suns Media Day.

"But I am focusing on doing the right thing, building the right organization, and making sure we're gonna be successful going forward from a perspective of identity, vision, culture and something that fans be proud of. And I think that you're gonna see that, and that will turn into wins and eventually turns into championships."

If ESPN's simulations are anywhere close, that could be considered a strong step in the right direction.