Suns Labeled One of Five NBA Title Contenders

The Athletic’s Zach Harper end-of-season power rankings and grades for each team was posted today as the regular season is now in the rearview mirror. Harper ranked each team in tiers based on how talented they are, and the Phoenix Suns were listed as one of five NBA title contenders heading into the first round of the NBA playoffs.

The Phoenix Suns were ranked fourth by Harper in tier one and given an overall season grade of a B+.

Harper goes into the success of Phoenix prior to Devin Booker’s groin injury and how they were actually on pace for 52 wins if Booker stayed fully healthy for the entirety of the season. He also specifies the importance of adding a player like Kevin Durant to go along with Booker.

The article preaches that Durant is the perfect player to just plug into a lineup as he is able to play any role that is presented to him.

The key word that is stated in the article is healthy. If Phoenix is healthy, they should be able to beat anybody in their path. The Suns are certainly one of - if not the most - talented team but have been dealing with a multitude of injuries all season.

The teams that are ranked ahead of the Suns are the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets. The Philadelphia 76ers ranked fifth on the list and were the last team in tier one.

The Suns are capable of beating any team in the NBA, but do they have enough chemistry to outmatch them? Durant only played a total of eight games in a Suns’ uniform so they don’t have the chemistry that some of these top teams have.

It's rare that we see a player of Durant’s magnitude traded mid-season so this is truly uncharted territory. Time will only tell if the lack of chemistry will make a difference come playoff time. It is a positive sign that the Suns are 8-0 when Durant has played.

Phoenix will begin their first round series against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, April 16.