Suns Center Gets Real on Expectations in 2026-27 Season

The Phoenix Suns know they can again make a postseason push.

Mar 19, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) shoots a free throw in the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns continue to be overlooked by the outside world.

After a successful playoff push, Phoenix made a handful of impactful re-signings on top of welcoming new additions in Koa Peat and Miles Bridges to improve their interior play.

The Western Conference again projects as a tough out this season. The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are the two obvious giants that teams are looking to slay with plenty more talent competing with the Suns underneath — notably the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.

The Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers hope to be in the mix, too.

Still, Phoenix is confident they can make noise in 2026-27.

“From the outside, I would assume probably not much. It’s going to probably be about the same from the outside, but from us, it’s the same as last year," Oso Ighodaro told The Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin.

"It wasn’t a surprise to us what we did. We didn't do what we wanted to do in the playoffs, but we want to win every game we play. We want to compete in the playoffs and compete for a championship. That’s going to be our goal and I’m excited for it.”

That mirrors a similar sentiment expressed by Collin Gillespie, though his was a bit more directed towards the doubters:

"I don't look at any of that stuff," he said recently on PHNX Suns.

"I don't know what the power rankings [say] or where we're rated I guess, I don't really know. I haven't looked at any of it but I don't really care. Obviously at the end of the day everybody has to tie their shoes, go out and play and see who's better."

Phoenix should also be better with a bit more continuity on their side. The trio of Jalen Green-Devin Booker-Dillon Brooks didn't get much run together through the regular season, and by time the postseason arrived, they were at a disadvantage in terms of time on task.

There's also hope Suns coach Jordan Ott will improve in his second year running the show.

Are there legitimate championship expectations in the desert? Most likely not, though after making the playoffs, the organization at least has a fairly high bar established for 2026-27.

Ighodaro himself could be crucial in terms of developing into a strong building block down low in Phoenix to ensure those expectations come to fruition.