Phoenix Suns Complete 2016-17 Preview

Earl Watson’s debut as the Phoenix Suns’ interim skipper was a seemingly inconspicuous defeat amid a sea of many.

His team dropped a 104-97 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 2, doomed by a 13-point second quarter and four turnovers from three different starters. What’s the significance? It was a step forward from the dreadful efforts Phoenix had been putting forth.

“(The Suns) played as well as they’ve played for a while,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey told reporters.

Yes, losing by less than double digits was a plus, considering they hadn’t done that the previous four contests. Getting 30 points, 11 boards and six assists from Markieff Morris helped bring back a first-round pick for the disgruntled forward at the trade deadline.

That those would qualify as “highlights” sums up last year’s Suns. Their 23-59 record—low-lighted by a miserable 2-28 stretch—was compiled by growing pains, injuries, the coaching change and inconsistent efforts at both ends.

A lot of those concerns will carry over to 2016-17. Watson has full rein as head coach now, and Phoenix had a full summer to get healthy, but an inexperienced nucleus needs to find its footing before helping the franchise get back on track.

Biggest Offseason Move

The Suns spent the previous two summers hopelessly targeting big fish in free agency. They secured meetings with LeBron James’ agent and LaMarcus Aldridge but wound up only nabbing Tyson Chandler, who tried recruiting Aldridge and now finds himself stuck in a rebuilding project that doesn’t fit the 34-year-old’s timeline.

Phoenix took the opposite path this offseason and made its biggest maneuvers on draft night. Following the emergence of All-Rookie first-teamer Devin Booker, the Suns gambled on patience by taking a pair of top-10 home run swings with Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss. Both offer the athleticism, spacing and versatility of modern bigs, albeit in organic granola-raw packages.

“We’re fully committed to their development,” Suns general manager Ryan McDonough said, per Matthew Bain of the Arizona Republic. “They’re two of the youngest players in the draft…so we’ll be patient with them. But they have some unique skills, and I think they may be ready to make an impact sooner than some people think.”

The Suns—as per usual—also snagged a Kentucky guard, getting SEC Player of the Year Tyler Ulis with the 34th selection. His lack of size (5’9″, 160 lbs) is a major question mark, but if it wasn’t, he wouldn’t have fallen outside the top 10.

The maturation of Booker, Bender and Chriss will determine whether the Suns have assembled their next playoff core or if they’ll require another rebuilding effort down the line. To that end, Phoenix smartly invested in locker room good guys Jared Dudley and Leandro Barbosa to guide their up-and-comers, while letting Jon Leuer, Mirza Teletovic and Ronnie Price walk in free agency.

Rotation Breakdown

The Suns are in a transitional phase, and their overlapping roster drives that point home. They’re crowded in the backcourt and up front, while the wings run as thin as the 7’1″, 225-pound Bender.

That could make building the rotation as uncomfortable as a dental chair, but Watson proactively fought against that. Rather than …

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