The Phoenix Suns are one of the most talented teams in the NBA right now, sporting four All-Star-level players Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton. When healthy, perhaps no team in the Western Conference should be able to take the Suns down on both ends of the court. After all, Phoenix has been in win-now mode over the last few seasons. The Suns made the NBA Finals in 2021, losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in 6 games despite being up 2-0 in the series. Last year, the Suns failed as they fell to the Dallas Mavericks in seven games in the second round despite having the same roster.
Finally, this season, Phoenix made a massive trade to get back into contention by bringing in four-time scoring champion Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets. Currently, the team is dealing with injury issues after Kevin Durant’s unfortunate slip during a pre-game warmup, but they should still be in contention, assuming the player returns by the playoffs. Looking at Phoenix right now and the star power they have, it is easy to forget how far the franchise has come. Remember, it was only a few years ago when the Suns were a complete pushover on the court and one of the worst sides in the league. How much has the Suns’ roster truly changed over the past decade?
It is time to go back and look at the evolution of the Suns’ starting lineups for the past ten years since the 2014 season. We have already seen the massive changes the Los Angeles Lakers franchise has changed over the past decade, along with the Golden State Warriors, now that they have four more NBA championships to their record. We know the Suns have shuffled their lineups over the past four seasons, but let’s dive a bit deeper. It is very interesting to see how far the Suns have come from being a lottery team to a title contender, and these are Phoenix’s starting lineups in the past ten seasons.
2013-14 Phoenix Suns
Starting Lineup: Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe, P.J. Tucker, Channing Frye, Miles Plumlee
Regular Season Record: 48-34
Playoffs: Missed Playoffs
The 2014 season was known as the year that Phoenix was actually decent on the court but still missed the postseason. Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe were a solid pairing on the court when the latter was healthy, as they averaged a combined 38.0 PPG and 11.4 APG. On paper, Phoenix had a solid roster, although they lacked the depth and experience to actually make the playoffs. With Tucker joining Frye and Plumlee in the frontcourt, the Suns were not exactly a bad team by any means.
The Suns had help from Gerald Green (15.8 PPG on 40.0% 3-PT FG) and Markieff Morris (13.8 PPG and 6.0 RPG) providing valuable minutes, along with Marcus Morris starting to come into how own (9.7 PPG). The Morris brothers loved playing with each other, so that probably helped team chemistry, which is why the Suns were not terrible in the 2014 season.
2014-15 Phoenix Suns
Starting Lineup: Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe, PJ Tucker, Markieff Morris, Alex Len
Regular Season Record: 39-43
Playoffs: Missed Playoffs
The Nets ran it back with the same core, except that the team added Brandon Knight and Isaiah Thomas to have a team led by guards. That experiment seemed interesting at first, but the team struggled due to their size and lack of defensive impact. Dragic, Bledsoe, Knight, and Thomas shared minutes in the backcourt, and even if they put up solid numbers, it did not exactly lead to wins as the Suns finished under .500.
Bledsoe led the team in scoring (17.0 PPG) to go along with 5.2 RPG and 6.1 APG, while Dragic chipped in 16.2 PPG and 4.1 APG. Thomas posted 15.2 PPG and 3.7 APG, along with Knight, who chipped in 13.4 PPG and 4.5 APG. Despite having four guards posting solid numbers, there were no above-average bigs except Markieff Morris, who averaged 15.3 PPG and 6.2 RPG.
2015-16 Phoenix Suns
Starting Lineup: Brandon Knight, Devin Booker, PJ Tucker, John Leur, Tyson Chandler
Regular Season Record: 23-59
Playoffs: Missed Playoffs
The Suns cleaned their roster a little bit, moving on from their guard-heavy lineup to incorporate some bigs, including the newly acquired Tyson Chandler, who started at center for 60 games. Chandler was a solid player, posting 7.2 PPG and 8.7 RPG, but he could not man the middle enough alongside John Leur and Markieff Morris, who split the power forward spot. The biggest addition, however, was rookie Devin Booker.
Booker was not the player we know today, as he started at the shooting guard spot after being taken No. 13 overall in the draft. At only 19 years old, there was a lot of pressure on Devin to lead this team into the playoffs, but the team was actually worse than the prior year. Booker did make the All-Rookie Team by posting 13.8 PPG on 34.3% 3-PT FG, so at least there was potential being shown.
2016-17 Phoenix Suns
Starting Lineup: Eric Bledsoe, Devin Booker, T.J. Warren, Marquese Chriss, Tyson Chandler
Regular Season Record: 24-58
Playoffs: Missed Playoffs
There was little to be happy about during the 2017 season, as the team missed the playoffs yet again and had nothing to celebrate other than the talented duo of Booker and Bledsoe showing their skills. Booker, at 20 years old, played 78 games and averaged 22.1 PPG and 3.4 APG on 36.3% from deep while starting to prove he was the franchise’s cornerstone. Bledsoe, meanwhile, posted 21.1 PPG to go along with 4.8 RPG and 6.3 APG.
Phoenix had a talented backcourt, but neither was a true leader for a team, and the Suns struggled as they did not have much else. Warren did chip in 14.4 PPG, but the Suns still lacked size and defense (28th in defensive rating and 30th in points allowed). Even if Booker and Bledsoe could score, the team could not make use of that since they allowed 113.3 PPG, which was the highest mark in the NBA. By this time, Suns’ fans were getting annoyed with the lack of competitiveness, although Booker’s 70-point game was something to marvel at.
2017-18 Phoenix Suns
Starting Lineup: Tyler Ulis, Devin Booker, TJ Warren, Marquese Chriss, Tyson Chandler
Regular Season Record: 21-61
Playoffs: Missed Playoffs
The Phoenix Suns drafted Josh Jackson with the No. 4 overall pick, and the player was supposed to help fix things for a disastrous team. Jackson did a great job considering he was entering a bad situation, posting 13.1 PPG and making the All-Rookie Team, but the player was unable to build on that as he has almost disappeared from the NBA this season. Even with Jackson playing quite well and Booker gaining confidence (24.9 PPG), the Suns struggled.
Head coach Earl Watson was fired after the Suns went 0-3, and Jay Triano was expected to fix things, although he went 21-58. Eric Bledsoe only played 3 games, and as the team’s second-best player, that was not good news. Booker was the only bright spot, posting 24.9 PPG, but the Suns struggled all year with the worst defense (30th in defensive rating) and worst offense (30th in offensive rating) in the NBA. Just when Suns’ fans thought the worst was over, next year would be worse.
2018-19 Phoenix Suns
Starting Lineup: De’Anthony Melton, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, T.J. Warren, Deandre Ayton
Regular Season Record: 19-63
Playoffs: Missed Playoffs
The Suns’ record would drop even lower, as the team won only 19 games. Phoenix took talented center Deandre Ayton with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 Draft, and he made the All-Rookie Team by averaging 16.3 PPG and 10.3 RPG. Bridges was also a solid draft choice at No. 10 overall, posting 8.3 PPG and 3.2 RPG. As solid as these two draft choices were (and would be in the future), the team could not win relying on two rookies and a 22-year-old Devin Booker.
As a result, head coach Igor Kokoskov was completely out of his depth and was not the answer at the head of a sinking ship. The Suns still had three promising young players to look forward to, but at the time, things were not looking too good as Suns fans were wondering who the savior would be at the time. With only 19 wins, despite Booker posting 26.6 PPG, there wasn’t enough talent and experience to win games in the Western Conference.
2019-20 Phoenix Suns
Starting Lineup: Ricky Rubio, Devin Booker, Kelly Oubre Jr, Dario Saric, Deandre Ayton
Regular Season Record: 34-39
Playoffs: Missed Playoffs
The Phoenix Suns were a little better than the prior year, winning 34 games thanks to Devin Booker’s scoring (26.6 PPG) and Rubio’s playmaking (8 APG) paired with Oubre Jr’s presence as a scorer (18.7 PPG) and Ayton’s improvement inside (18.2 PPG and 11.5 RPG). With these four players playing at their best, the Suns won 34 games and came close to a .500 record.
Phoenix did miss the playoffs in the COVID-shortened season, even if Booker turned up his scoring in the “Bubble.” Finally, the young guys were starting to show their skill, and the upgrade of Oubre Jr into the starting lineup helped bring athleticism and scoring. Finally, Phoenix fans were getting some hope, and the following year, everything would change thanks to the arrival of future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul.
2020-21 Phoenix Suns
Starting Lineup: Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, Deandre Ayton
Regular Season Record: 51-21
Playoffs: Lost NBA Finals vs. Milwaukee Bucks (2-4)
It is amazing how the addition of Chris Paul (and Jae Crowder) sent this team from the lottery to the NBA Finals. Sure, Booker was doing his thing offensively (25.6 PPG), and Ayton was averaging his standard double-double (14.4 PPG, 10.5 RPG), but Paul was the primary reason why the Suns were so good on both ends. Phoenix finished 5th in offensive rating and 9th in defensive rating, and the team was absolutely solid across the board.
Finishing 2nd in the Western Conference, the Suns were expected to make a deep playoff push which they absolutely did. The young players (Bridges, Booker, Ayton) benefitted most from Paul’s presence as a leader and Monty Williams’ rise as an excellent coach, and their play spearheaded the team past the Lakers, Nuggets, and Clippers as they only lost four games out of the 16 played. They were up 2-0 in the Finals, but Giannis Antetokounmpo took his game to another level and ended up winning the next four games and winning Finals MVP. The confusing decision by Monty Williams to make Deandre Ayton the primary defender on The Greek Freak proved to be disastrous.
2021-22 Phoenix Suns
Starting Lineup: Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, Deandre Ayton
Regular Season Record: 64-18
Playoffs: Lost Second Round vs. Dallas Mavericks (3-4)
The Suns ran it back with their dominant starting lineup, which was considered to be the most talented on both ends but the team badly failed in the playoffs. In the regular season, the Suns looked like the best team in the West as they finished with the first seed at 64-18. Booker, Ayton, Paul, Bridges, and the rising Cameron Johnson were excellent players all year long, and the team looked primed for another Finals run.
However, in the postseason, everything fell apart. After taking care of business against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round, winning 4-2, they had to face Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. The Suns went up 2-0, and similar to the prior year’s Finals, they couldn’t capitalize as Dallas came back to win the next two before forcing a Game 7. A disastrous Game 7 performance occurred in which Dallas blitzed Phoenix to a 123-90 victory, and the future of the Suns’ organization was thrown into doubt.
2022-23 Phoenix Suns
Starting Lineup: Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Torrey Craig, Deandre Ayton
Regular Season Record: 38-33
Playoffs: TBD
The Phoenix Suns ran it back again in 2023, except that the team struggled. They struggled on offense as an aging Chris Paul was not able to lead the team to the success needed for a title contender, and rumors of Deandre Ayton being unhappy in Phoenix continued to grow. Not to mention, Jae Crowder went AWOL and did not play a single game for the Suns. Just when the team was about to blow it all up as Chris Paul was dangled in trade bait for Kyrie Irving, the Suns engaged in the biggest blockbuster deal of the season to bring Kevin Durant aboard in a package for Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder, and four first-round picks.
Finally, Phoenix had another title-contending roster, and the expectation was to boost up to the first seed in the West and win it all. Unfortunately, a freakish injury to Kevin Durant during a pre-game warmup meant the forward has only appeared in three games for the Suns. The Suns are trying to gain a top-4 seed in the West before the playoffs start, and once Durant returns, they could start their title contention. It won’t be easy for the Suns to win a title with Durant only playing 3 games and key players over the last few years gone in the trade, but it could be possible because of the sheer talent they possess. Let’s see how Phoenix does to close out the season before Durant competes for them in the playoffs.
