Could Suns Be One of NBA's Biggest Surprises Again?

Not a lot of people have high hopes for the Suns heading into the 2026-27 season.

Feb 22, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Jordan Ott reacts against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns snuck up on everyone last season in their first year without Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, finishing with a 45-37 record and making the playoffs despite very low preseason expectations.

Phoenix did not end the season that well and was hampered by injuries all year long, so the true potential of the Suns remains a big question mark moving forward.

It seemed like teams across the NBA knew later in the year when they played the Suns that they would give all-out effort on every single possession, which was a big reason why they found so much success earlier on in the season but struggled a bit when teams matched their effort down the stretch.

Now, coach Jordan Ott will look to refine his system with a retooled roster that features the likes of Miles Bridges and Luke Kennard after trading away Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale.

With Mark Williams' long-term injury and the questionable fit of the entire starting lineup, several outlets are projecting the Suns to finish in relatively the same place or worse going into the 2026-27 season.

Suns Labeled As "Under The Radar" Team

USA TODAY's Lorenzo Reyes placed the Suns 17th in his pre-training camp power rankings and had an interesting way to describe them:

"The Suns are flying under the radar and will hope to see the full benefits of a Devin Booker-Jalen Green backcourt, now that Green is once again healthy," Reyes wrote.

Not a lot of people are talking about the Suns even after they turned heads last season, which is exactly how they want it.

Based on the reasons discussed above, there is a chance the Suns end around the same place in the standings.

However, Ott proved that he cannot be overestimated as he maximized the value of several players last season by giving them a lot of freedom offensively, and the Suns have two young players in Khaman Maluach and Rasheer Fleming who could significantly elevate their ceiling if they are able to develop this season.

Bridges is a tough player to pinpoint given the overlap in skills he has with the rest of the starting group, but if he is able to find a way to fit in and provide good defense, he could be a true X-factor.

To Reyes' point, the Suns have also yet to see exactly how their backcourt of Booker and Green works out, and if Green has a breakout year, it could bode extremely well for how Phoenix performs.

There are plenty of reasons why the Suns can improve off their impressive 2025-26 season, but it's a matter of showing the rest of the league last year was not a fluke and that they can take a step forward if everyone buys in and if they see development out of their young players.