After Surprise Season, Suns Believe 2026-27 Will Only Be Better

PHOENIX -- After exceeding all preseason expectations last year with a 45-37 record, the Phoenix Suns feel like they are only going to continue to improve in the second year under coach Jordan Ott.

"The nice thing about our team is we were a playoff team last year, and we're an ascending team," Suns owner Mat Ishbia said at media day Monday. "We have a playoff-level team. We got a superstar, great players. On top of that, and we got young guys that are getting better.

"Not too many teams in the NBA have that up-and-coming opportunity, along with a team that's in the playoffs and going to keep getting better. So we feel really good about where we're at, but at the same time, winning is fragile, and culture is fragile until you build on it year in and year out. And we're going to make sure that we continue to build upon it. We feel really good about where we're at right now."

The Suns are returning 12 of 15 players from last season's roster and after having great camaraderie last year, they have been in the gym together all summer working before the season.

"The work that these gentlemen have put in in this offseason, and I'm talking about the players, the assistant coaches, the coaches, the front office, everyone's done an amazing job of getting better," Ishbia said. "Everyone bought into the fact that 'Hey, listen, we got to be better.' One of the ways to get better is not just adding players, it's to get us better.

"And we have young players that care. They care about winning. They care about improving themselves. They have big goals, and we're working towards them together. And so this season, you're going to see ... they've gotten stronger. They've worked on their game. They've worked together. Seen guys come in and work in the morning, then come back at night and shoot together, the camaraderie, the culture.

"We're building something special, and it's a lot of credit to the players, the coaches, and of course the front office ... but we talk about getting better every day, and it's not something we just say. You actually got to do it, and I believe that our organization will have taken the biggest step of any organization in the NBA this summer, based on the work we put in. Now, how it translates on the court, we're going to have to see every single day. But we put the work and the effort in, and I'm really, really proud of everybody."

After establishing a culture and identity shaped around energy and effort last season, the challenge for the Suns is going to be building off that in this second season and not getting complacent.

"Obviously we felt good about year one, and as we've talked about and would be the theme of this is we have to build on that. One year doesn't make your culture. One year doesn't make your identity. You have to keep building on it, and the only way to do that is to get better," Suns general manager Brian Gregory said.

"To keep emphasizing those things that are important to us that lead us to being successful on the court. For our guys to continue to improve and buy into those things and execute those things, and that's on a daily basis. That's just not during those 82 games. Our identity is based on putting in the work every single day, maximizing your potential every single day, and if we can take that to another level, that's one piece to evaluate as success."

Several record predictions have the Suns winning the same or less amount of games in the 2026-27 season even after the success they found last year.

Phoenix isn't worried about the outside noise, and coach Jordan Ott feels the Suns have a winning formula they need to continue to develop.

"I think it's that understanding of how we win that we constantly talked about last year," Ott said. "We know that we know what it feels like, so it's not just words. It's not just someone saying it. We actually feel it. Our group feels it, but also understanding how fragile it is, and you know, not to skip steps. (In training camp), we will not skip steps."

Training camp begins today for the Suns, who play their first preseason game next Monday against the Detroit Pistons.

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