Suns Climb NBA Power Rankings

The Phoenix Suns are 35-29 after defeating the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, and Kevin Durant looks very much like the player the organization hoped they had traded for just a few weeks back.

The Suns now have 18 games until the postseason begins, and while playoff positioning will be crucial in the path to a franchise-first NBA title, figuring out different lineups and rotations will also be a priority for head coach Monty Williams.

For now, Phoenix moves one spot up from No. 5 in the Bleacher Report's latest NBA Power Rankings:

Bleacher Report: No. 4

Andy Bailey: "The Phoenix Suns were sent flying up the rankings last time around, based on little more than the addition of Kevin Durant. And this week, he made his debut in a 105-91 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

"In just 26 minutes, Durant went 10-of-15 from the field, scored 23 points, grabbed six boards and blocked two shots.

"He looked every bit as adaptable as he was when he joined the Golden State Warriors in 2016. Unlike plenty of other volume scorers in NBA history, his presence should be purely additive. He knows how to play with ball-dominant creators like Devin Booker and Chris Paul.

"The learning curve here shouldn't be steep."

The Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets finished ahead of Phoenix.

The Suns didn't fair too kindly in other NBA power rankings across the web, however. Earlier this week, the Suns were at No. 9 in Sports Illustrated's power rankings and No. 8 in ESPN's.

Those should soon change, especially if the Suns are able to go 3-0 this week on the road with a Sunday test against the Dallas Mavericks waiting for them.