Phoenix Nirvana: The Suns’ youth storm and road to reconstruction

Phoenix Suns lost 36 to 46 last year. After a failed season, they readjusted the lineup this season, fired head coach Mike Budenholzer and sent Kevin Durant, who was selected for 15 times, to the Rockets. He also bought out the contract for three-time All-Star player Bradley Bill. This once looked luxurious trio has been declared a failure.

New season preview

New coach: In recent years, the Suns have been firing coaches, Vogel, Monty Williams, and Budenholzer. And now this brand new young team is coached by a young coach Jordan Ott. Last season, he worked as an assistant coach in the Cavaliers' coaching staff, helping the Cavaliers achieve a very good regular season record. He is good at using data analysis to improve both offense and defense, and attaches great importance to team spirit.

Interestingly, Suns owner Matt Ishbia played for the Michigan State University basketball team as a sparring player from 1999 to 2003, and Ott was the video coordinator at the time.

Offseason Trading: This summer, the Suns sent 37-year-old superstar Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets, in exchange for 23-year-old shooting guard Jaylen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th pick in the first round of 2025 and five second-round draft picks.

Jaylen Green is the core figure of the deal. Last season, he averaged 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game with the Rockets. It's actually pretty good just by looking at the data, but considering that Green and Booker are both the same type of players, they usually focus on ending.

When Green played the point guard, assists rose to 6.8 per 100 rounds, the true plus-negative value was 2.1, and the success rate of pick-and-roll passes was 72%. Last season, he made 2.8 mistakes per 36 minutes, and his dribbling error rate was 82% of the Super League point guard under high pressure defense.

Whether Green or Booker is a major problem facing the new coach.

There is also a major defensive player: Dillon Brooks, who was third in the league in defensive efficiency last season, reducing his opponent's three-point shooting percentage by 4.1%. His defense can help the Suns line to improve a higher level, and the defensive leadership temperament can cultivate the team's defensive temperament. When many people mentioned that the Suns are playing bad teams next season, he said: "I think Phoenix is ​​reinforcing, you know, this is not really a rebuilding season, we are determined to win. In our hearts, we want to enter the playoffs."

Rookies: They selected center Maruac with the No. 10 pick, forward Fleming with the No. 31 pick, and pitcher Breya

Maruac: played in South Sudan for three years and joined Duke in the 2024-25 season. In his only season in the NCAA, Maruac averaged 21.3 minutes per game, contributing 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. As the 10th pick, although his offensive ability is insufficient, his defensive experience still needs to be improved. But the future is unlimited.

Fleming (3D type player): He is from St. Joseph, averaging 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.4 steals shooting 53.1%, 39% from three-pointers and 74.3% from free throws. He is good at fixed-point jump shots, and is full of energy on the defensive end, good at blocking and rebounding. .

Brea (three-point shooter): From the University of Kentucky, he averaged 28.1 minutes per game, scored 11.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 47% and a three-point shooting percentage of 43.5%.

Book: He reached a two-year, $145 million early contract renewal agreement with the Suns. The new contract will cover the 2029-30 season, with three years left in the current contract, and the total salary will reach US$316 million in five years after the combined total. For him, this is another reconstruction cycle, and the team has given him a lot of point guards over the past decade. Perhaps this season requires him to undertake more organizational tasks by himself. This is a new challenge he has played so far in his career. It can be seen that he has made changes in the preseason and has more bonuses for the team's offense. However, the difficulty of the regular season and the playoffs is self-evident. Whether he can maintain his scoring skills while developing organizational and passing skills has become a highlight.

Conclusion: There have been huge adjustments during the offseason, and I have changed my coach, changed my core, and changed my playing style. Perhaps Suns fans will experience another trough period. For this season, the goal is to first set how to compete in the playoffs, slowly lay a solid foundation, cultivate rookies, and then strive for the finals. Although the team's growth and lack of playoff experience will make the team poor, the growth and draft pick flexibility of young players (the first round of 2026 in the hands of the Wizards) retain hope for the future.