What The Last Month Taught Us About The Suns

The Suns more than survived the toughest part of their schedule all year.

Dec 23, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns have now completed the toughest part of their schedule all season long as they gear up for a four-game road trip beginning Friday night.

After a strong start to the year, the Suns finished this latest 14-game gauntlet that featured 13 matchups against teams still over .500 with an impressive 7-7 record. Phoenix now sits at 16-13 on the season and in seventh place in the Western Conference.

In addition to the strength of schedule, the Suns had no shortage of adversity with injuries over this time, as they did not have Jalen Green for any of this stretch, were without Devin Booker for three games and Grayson Allen for nine games.

Still, Phoenix battled nearly every game and will now head into a five-game stretch that includes four matchups against teams with less than 10 wins.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the last 14 games:

Suns Have Ability to Compete With Any Team

Phoenix had the easiest strength of schedule going into this 14-game stretch, but now is tied for having the ninth-hardest schedule so far this season according to ESPN.

The Suns are one of four teams (Boston, San Antonio, Orlando) in the top-10 most difficult schedules with a winning record, which is a surprising group to be in given how low their preseason expectations were.

Coach Jordan Ott has Phoenix prepared for whoever is standing in their way, and the Suns are not a team that will lack effort even against tougher opponents.

Phoenix had some big losses over this stretch, but also grinded out some wins late in the fourth quarter with their effort or showed a higher level of competitiveness right from the opening tip in a few matchups leading to blowout wins.

The one thing that was clear is that the Suns are going to stick to their identity of gritty basketball no matter who is available or not against any team standing in their way.

One stat that illustrates this is the Suns' steals per game, as they now lead the NBA by a wide margin with 11 steals per game after averaging 11.5 over the last 14 games.

Overall, the Suns proved that they can make a serious playoff push over this stretch if they keep up this intensity.

Dillon Brooks' Strong Start to Season Is Not a Fluke

One player the Suns have rallied behind all season long is Dillon Brooks, and he has completely ascended his play since being acquired from the Houston Rockets this summer.

Brooks stepped up in a major way over these last 14 games offensively, leading the Suns in scoring at 22.4 points per game to bring his season average up to 21.8 points per night.

Ott's system and the injuries have allowed Brooks to have a much bigger role on offense all while being Phoenix's top defender, and the confidence he has and the work he has put in have really showed over this stretch.

Brooks is the heart and soul of Phoenix's identity, and he has given the Suns life plenty of times on both ends of the floor, whether it be hitting a big time shot or using his antics against an opponent's top player.

Don't expect a dip in play by Brooks at any time soon, especially with Green still sidelined.

Suns Still Need to Find Offensive Consistency

Although the Suns finished this stretch .500, there were plenty of times that highlighted how impactful Green could be once he comes back from his hamstring injury.

Phoenix ranked 24th in offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) over this stretch at 111.2 and was in the bottom half of the league in field goal percentage, assists, turnovers, and rebounding.

Things finally started to click offensively for the Suns in their last matchup, a 132-108 win over the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday, in a game where they shot 58.8% from the floor, 41.2% from 3 and had 35 assists.

The Suns simply playing hard, which Ott emphasizes, can lead to some hard-fought victories, but they also need their offense to come along at some point, which is difficult with the injuries, especially to Green and Allen.

Phoenix will hope it can carry over Tuesday's offensive outburst to this upcoming four-game road trip that begins tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans.