3 Biggest Lessons Suns Learned During 2025-26 Season

The Suns learned a lot about who they can be moving forward this season.

Apr 27, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Jordan Ott with forward Dillon Brooks (3) against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- There were a lot more positives than negatives for the Phoenix Suns during the 2025-26 season, as they went 45-37 and made the playoffs despite low preseason expectations and injuries throughout the year.

Phoenix put the league on notice by turning things around instantly after trading away Kevin Durant and moving off Bradley Beal last summer.

Here were three of the biggest lessons the Suns learned during the 2025-26 season:

Suns Have Right Culture, Coach in Place

Arguably the greatest positive of the season is that the Suns have a foundation in place that includes an established culture and coach of the future.

After going through four coaches in four seasons, Jordan Ott seems to be around to stay after a very impressive first year that brought him a lot of praise from the players and front office.

Phoenix also bought in on owner Mat Ishbia's vision of creating a new gritty, hard-nosed identity and now has Ott and Dillon Brooks among others around for years to come to build on it.

The Suns have to continue to find players who fit the mold of their team and hope this culture leads to more success.

Suns Don’t Truly Know Their Potential 

Injuries were once again a theme of the Suns despite moving towards a much younger team, and they made it so Phoenix did not truly know what it was capable of.

The Suns were never able to build continuity during the season, and by the time they were fully healthy, it was too late, and then injuries piled up again in the playoffs.

It would have been nice to know what the Suns had with a completely healthy roster to make moves for the offseason, but they might need another season to evaluate the team now.

The Suns will only hope for better injury luck next season so they know what they need and what they can do.

Suns Need to Fix Size Issue

The one glaring problem down the stretch of the season was the Suns' lack of size on the floor and unwillingness to adjust to bigger teams.

Luckily for Phoenix, it has Rasheer Fleming and Khaman Maluach ready to step into bigger roles next season, so the Suns might not even have to make a move to address the issue but rather just play bigger with their own personnel.

There is still a lot of improvement for the Suns next season, especially with their youth, and playing more size is a very obvious change Phoenix can make in the 2026-27 season.