Led by All-Star caliber play from its starting backcourt, a deep consistent bench, the rejuvenation of a player's career, and surprise breakout seasons from nearly every player on the roster, the Phoenix Suns finished with 48 wins last season, barely missing the playoffs by one game in the final days of the season. They proved every single 'expert' wrong. No one saw this coming, perhaps not even the Suns organization themselves. Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe were the stars of this team, combining for 38 points, 11.5 Assists, and 8 rebounds night in and night out. Gerald Green blossomed, averaging nearly 16 points per game off the bench. PJ Tucker turning into a leader and providing invaluable hustle and energy on a nightly basis. Jeff Hornacek finished second place in NBA Coach of the Year voting. Markieff Morris finished fourth in NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting. Goran Dragic won NBA Most Improved Player award and was also named to the All-NBA Third team. They were undoubtedly the surprise team of the year and are out to prove last season was no fluke. 

KEY ADDITIONS: Isaiah Thomas, Anthony Tolliver, TJ Warren, Tyler Ennis, Zoran Dragic

KEY DEPARTURES: Channing Frye, Ish Smith

The Phoenix Suns had a crazy summer, to say the least. With Eric Bledsoe being a restricted costless agent and having no sure sign of him re-signing, the Suns drafted point guard Tyler Ennis out of Syracuse with the 18th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. A couple of weeks later, the Phoenix Suns signed point guard Isaiah Thomas to a four-year, 27 million dollar deal, which was an absolute steal. Drafting a point guard, and signing another, while still having Goran Dragic on the roster led everyone to think Eric Bledsoe's short lived tenure in Phoenix was coming to an end, but in September, the Suns signed Bledsoe to a monster five-year, 70 million dollar contract. Last year's success was all led by the two starting point guards, and now the Suns have added a third in Isaiah Thomas to come off the bench. They also drafted T.J. Warren 14th overall out of N.C. State. Warren impressed in the NBA Summer League averaging 18 points per game in only 25 minutes. The Suns then extended the Morris twins by giving them each new four-year contracts. Markieff got $32 million while Marcus got $20 million, but that money is all going into one bank account for them to share. No joke. They brought Zoran Dragic, Goran Dragic's younger brother, over from Slovenia. The Suns are the only team in NBA history to have two sets of brothers on a team at the same time. They also signed forward Anthony Tolliver to a two-year contract, with only one year being guaranteed. P.J. Tucker got arrested for a "super extreme DUI" and has been suspended the first three games of the regular season. Told you they had a crazy summer. 

3 Things to Look For:

1) Will the Suns really play 3 point guards at once?

When the Suns signed Isaiah Thomas and re-signed Eric Bledsoe both to long-term deals, they envisioned a three headed-monster at the point guard position. Isaiah Thomas is 5'9", Eric Bledsoe is 6'1", and Goran Dragic is 6'3". They can't possibly play together... or could they? On October 16, the Suns demolished the Spurs 121-90 in a preseason game. The three point guards played 20 minutes together that game, and it was a beauty to look. They combined for 51 points, 17 assists, six steals, and three blocks. It looks like the Suns have decided two point guard lineups were so 2013, so look for a three point guard lineup this season. 

2)  The Los Angeles Lakers top 5 protected pick

When the Phoenix Suns traded Steve Nash to the Lakers in 2012, they received two first-round picks and two second-round picks. One of those first-round picks was used on Archie Goodwin in 2013. The other should be coming this season. That pick, however, has top 5 protection on it, meaning if it lands in the top 5 come draft night, then the Lakers get to keep the pick. The Lakers will be a bad, bad, bad basketball team this year. Make no mistake, they have one of the greatest players in the world in Kobe Bryant, but he isn't taking them anywhere by himself. Unless the Lakers decide to blow it up and start tanking, the Suns have a good chance of taking this draft pick from them. Keep an eye on the Lakers' draft positioning all season as the Suns look to put one last nail in the coffin on the Lakers' franchise. 

3) Can the Suns really make the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference?

The West is stacked. There is no question about it. If you thought last year's west was brutal, wait until you see this year. Doc Rivers came out and said "The West will be historically hard this season." Last year the Suns had 48 wins and missed the playoffs in the West, playing in the East they would have made the playoffs as the third seed and received home court advantage in the first-round. None of the teams in the West seem to have gotten worse, although a few teams look like they've gotten better. The Pelicans are rising, and the Nuggets should be back on track after an odd year last season. Teams may need 50 wins just to sneak into the playoffs this season. The Suns will need one of these teams to fall out - Rockets, Grizzlies, Blazers, or Warriors - while also fighting off some of the up and coming teams in the West. The Suns think they have what it takes, but do they?

Rotation: 

The Phoenix Suns have experimented with some lineups in preseason trying to find a consistent starting line-up. One thing is for sure, Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe will be the starting backcourt for the Phoenix Suns. P.J. Tucker should start at small forward, but he is suspended the first three games for a DUI he got a few months back. Markieff Morris is seen as the one to take over Channing Frye's spot in the starting lineup, but he may be better suited coming off the bench with his brother. In that case, Anthony Tolliver would have to start. Miles Plumlee will begin the season as the starting center. The Suns look to have one of the deepest benches in the entire NBA. Isaiah Thomas, Gerald Green, T.J. Warren, Marcus Morris, and Alex Len all off the bench is a huge weapon to have. That second unit is armed with scorers, shooters, and some rim protection from Len. The Suns have no question the deepest, most formidable backcourt in the league with Dragic, Bledsoe, Thomas, and Green. As of now, this is what the rotation looks like

PG: Eric Bledsoe/ Isaiah Thomas/ Tyler Ennis

SG: Goran Dragic/ Gerald Green/ Archie Goodwin/ Zoran Dragic

SF: P.J. Tucker/ T.J. Warren

PF: Markieff Morris/ Marcus Morris/ Anthony Tolliver

C: Miles Plumlee/ Alex Len/ Shavlik Randolph 

Look for the pace to be extremely fast with this team, and a lot of small ball to be played. The Suns will be one of the more exciting teams to look in the NBA based on athleticism, young talent, amazing chemistry, and the wild lineups they can throw at you. 

Team Breakout Player: Alex Len 

Many fans have already forgotten about the fifth overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft. Alex Len, the 7'1" center out of Maryland, could not seem to stay healthy last season. He appeared in only 42 games averaged only eight minutes a night. This past summer, he sprained his pinky, two different times. Len is healthy now and looks ready to go to start the regular season. He just turned 20 years old and is oozing potential. Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough said he thinks Alex Len is the most improved player of the team thus far. If he can stay healthy, expect him to take over Plumlee's starting spot at some point. There is a reason this kid was the fifth overall pick in 2013. The Suns don't have a strong frontcourt but if Len can showcase some of his talents, he can make the Suns a much better team. 

Team MVP: Eric Bledsoe

Sorry Goran Dragic, but Eric Bledsoe will be the Phoenix Suns 2015 team MVP. Goran Dragic will make the All-Star team and have just as good a season as he did a year ago when he made the All-NBA Third team, but Bledsoe will be a much better player than last season. Eric Bledsoe garnered a 70 million dollar contract this past summer, and he's out to prove why he deserves that money. Rumors are swirling around that Bledsoe wasted no time this past summer, spending his time in the gym and putting on more muscle, as if that was possible. He is only 24 years old and is dubbed by many as 'Mini-LeBron'. Look for him to post career-highs in points, assists, and rebounds and to collect a few triple-doubles along the course of the season. There is no stopping this man when he drives to the bucket as he absorbs contact perfectly and gets to the line. He also shuts down opposing team's point guards on a nightly basis. He just has to stay healthy.

Record Prediction: 50 wins 32 losses; sixth seed in the West

Last year's team won 48 games, and there is no reason to think this team is any worse. In fact, this team has improved, and nobody is talking about them, yet again. When healthy last year, The Phoenix Suns were a top 5 team in the West, then Bledsoe went down with a knee injury missing 39 games, and the Suns still managed to stay afloat in the tough Western Conference. If healthy this year, which is always the big question mark, look for them to jump up to the sixth seed and win 50 games.

Last year, 'experts' around the world picked the Suns to be the worst team in the West and win around 20 games. Vegas set the Suns' over/under win total at 19.5 wins. The Suns had different plans, winning nearly 50 games and falling one game short of the playoffs. Had it not been for Bledsoe's injury, who knows where they would have landed. 48 wins and missing the playoffs matched the 2008 Golden State Warriors as the best record in NBA history not to make the playoffs. This season, the Suns aren't surprising anyone. The league is ready for what the Suns are going to throw at them. Let us see if they can repeat last season's success... and then some.

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