The Phoenix Suns\u2019 season ended abruptly at the hands of the No. 1-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. But despite the disappointing first-round sweep, the 2025-26 campaign may have been the franchise\u2019s biggest success in years.<\/p>\n
A four-game losing streak in the first round of the playoffs doesn\u2019t accurately reflect the Phoenix Suns\u2019 season, and casual fans of the game may jump to the conclusion that \u2018we didn\u2019t win a title; therefore, the season was a bust.\u2019<\/p>\n
However, ESPN<\/a> predicted that the Suns would win just 32 games, ranking them 26th in the league and 14th in the Western Conference, ahead of only the Utah Jazz.<\/p>\n The Suns ended the 2024-25 campaign 11th in the West, despite having one of the NBA\u2019s oldest and most expensive teams, with Bradley Beal<\/a> and Kevin Durant<\/a>, both of whom left Phoenix.<\/p>\n The blockbuster Kevin Durant trade brought to the valley Dillon Brooks<\/a>, Jalen Green<\/a> and the No. 10 overall pick in the draft, later used on Khaman Maluach<\/a>, to transform the league\u2019s oldest roster into one built around young talent.<\/p>\n A Foundation for the Suns\u2019 Future Success<\/p>\n The Suns\u2019 youth and inexperience were viewed as a major weakness heading into the season, prompting many preseason analysts to question whether the team could remain competitive.<\/p>\n Phoenix quickly proved those doubts wrong, becoming one of the NBA\u2019s toughest teams to beat.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, Green\u2019s injuries sidelined him for most of the season, but several other players stepped up. Dillon Brooks, Jordan Goodwin<\/a>, Royce O\u2019Neil, and, most surprisingly, Colin Gillespie all notched career-best seasons, leaving Phoenix Suns owner Matt Ishbia satisfied with the successful campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cOverall, if I look at this basketball season and the organization in the last 12 months, I\u2019m really proud of what we\u2019ve done and accomplished,\u201d Ishbia said<\/a> in a post-season press conference. \u201cI\u2019m really proud of what we\u2019ve done and accomplished.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Suns Discovered Their Identity<\/p>\n Phoenix won 45 games this season, nine more than the previous year and 14 more than ESPN\u2019s preseason prediction. Devin Booker<\/a> played an All-Star season. Rookies Maluach and Rasheer Fleming<\/a> showed flashes of greatness throughout the season. Jalen Green showed an upward trend in consistency through his 32 regular-season games. But most importantly, this team found its identity.<\/p>\n \u201cI talked about creating an identity, creating a vision and executing it,\u201d Ishbia said. \u201cThat\u2019s a lot of words until you actually do it, and we feel really good about where we are.\u201d<\/p>\n