After winning just 19 games last year, the Suns are looking to have a better season in 2019/20. Their moves in the draft and free agency helped, even if just marginally, as sportsbetting.ag currently has the over/under for the Suns' team wins at 26.5. This is a slight improvement, but nothing drastic. Only the Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets currently have worse over/under predictions at 24.5 games a piece. I'm not breaking any news by saying the Suns aren't going to be contenders this year, but that's not to say they don't still have promising talent in their roster. Let's take a look at some top questions about the team this year.
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PG |
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PG |
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SG |
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SF |
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SF |
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SF |
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PF |
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PF |
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C |
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C |
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C |
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C |
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C |
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G |
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PG |
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11 |
77
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#24 PG | 1 | 6' 2" | 189 | 29 | 10/21/90 | 9th season | |
PG |
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4 |
70
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2 | 6' 0" | 194 | 24 | 9/14/95 | 2nd season | West Virginia | |
PG |
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2 |
71
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3 | 6' 2" | 189 | 21 | 10/23/97 | 2nd season | ||
PG |
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16 |
73
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#48 PG | 4 | 6' 2" | 189 | 27 | 5/7/92 | 6th season | Fresno State |
PG |
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10 |
72
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5 | 6' 5" | 194 | 22 | 7/8/97 | Rookie | Virginia | |
PG |
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67
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PG |
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12 |
67
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5' 10" | 174 | 22 | 9/14/97 | Rookie | Auburn | ||
SG |
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1 |
85
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#10 SG | 1 | 6' 5" | 209 | 22 | 10/30/96 | 5th season | Kentucky |
SF |
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3 |
77
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#22 SF | 1 | 6' 7" | 202 | 23 | 12/9/95 | 5th season | Kansas |
SF |
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3 |
67
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1 | 6' 7" | 202 | 23 | 12/9/95 | 5th season | Kansas | |
SF |
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25 |
74
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#87 SF | 2 | 6' 5" | 209 | 23 | 8/30/96 | 2nd season | Villanova |
PF |
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20 |
76
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#14 PF | 1 | 6' 9" | 224 | 25 | 4/8/94 | 4th season | |
PF |
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23 |
72
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2 | 6' 7" | 202 | 23 | 3/3/96 | Rookie | ||
C |
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22 |
83
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#22 C | 1 | 6' 11" | 249 | 21 | 7/23/98 | 2nd season | Arizona |
C |
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8 |
76
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#31 C | 1 | 6' 11" | 238 | 26 | 4/4/93 | 5th season | Wisconsin |
C |
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46 |
76
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#51 C | 1 | 6' 9" | 257 | 32 | 12/9/86 | 8th season | Washington State |
C |
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14 |
75
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#70 C | 3 | 6' 7" | 218 | 23 | 9/13/96 | 4th season | Kansas |
C |
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67
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Rookie | ||||||||
G |
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68
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6 | 6' 2" | 182 | 19 | 6/13/00 | Rookie |
The Hornets and power forward Frank Kaminsky failed to reach an agreement when his contract expired paving the way for the Suns to pick him up for a 2 year $10 million deal. Kaminsky wasn't a regular starter for the Hornets, so there's no reason to believe he will be for the Suns. What he does provide, though, is veteran experience in the front court. He joins Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson at the power forward position for the Suns. Rubio provides more veteran leadership for the Suns, only in the backcourt. His years of experience in the league will make for him filling a leadership role immediately. On top of this, he has something the Suns are yearning for: playoff experience.
Although technically drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cameron Johnson finds himself in a Suns uniform due to a trade. Coming out of the University of North Carolina, he was one of the top seniors in the draft. He has good size for a wing at 6'8.5" with an average wingspan of 6'10". He's lean at 205 lbs, which is good for his sheer athletic ability but could pose problems being physical against other bigs in the league. It's noted by analysts that Johnson could definitely use some improvement on the boards, but he does move his feet well on defense. If he's able to beef up in the next year or so, I don't see why he would have any problem increasing his physicality. It's worth noting that his three-point-percentage was the 6th highest in University of North Carolina history at 41.1, so he'll be able to attack from all points of the floor.
In short, yes. While many of the moves the Suns made in the offseason seemed confusing at first, they're seeming to piece together a semblance of a productive roster now. It's easy to look at the Suns' offseason and call it a bust when comparing it to that of, say, the Lakers, but we need to remember the Suns are a small-market team that doesn't have the same allure that LA possess. Rubio at PG is a definitive upgrade, and there's no question that he's only going to make Booker a better, more productive player. Will the Suns make the playoffs this year? No, probably not, but they'll put up a much better record than last year and leave their fans with something to be hopeful for, at the very least.