The Suns are the Nuggets' biggest threat in the Western Conference
The Denver Nuggets are widely expected to make the NBA Finals again this season and Nikola Jokic's presence is a primary reason why the franchise is viewed among potential championship contenders.
However, the Phoenix Suns are slowly emerging as a threat to Denver's chances of a repeat.
According to Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer, Phoenix has the offensive firepower and defensive commitment to give Denver real problems over a seven-game series.
"They will just put 120," O'Connor said. "They will outscore you 15-5 in overtime, like they did in their win over against the Nuggets after the All-Star break. They can get so hot that there's no answers for their offense. It doesn't matter how great you are defensively. They can just go with KD. Go with Book. Go with Beal. And manage to score enough. And their defense can save enough through effort."
Given the Suns' injury issues during the season's opening months, it's been easy to overlook them as potential contenders. However, now that they're healthy, we're starting to see how dangerous they are as an offensive unit.
Kevin Durant is the head of the snake. Yet, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal are both All-NBA talents who can generate their own offense and create for others. Every team in the NBA would struggle to shut that offense down throughout a seven-game series.
Furthermore, the Suns have a head coach with championship experience. Frank Vogel is known for deploying a defensive-minded strategy. He helped the Los Angeles Lakers win the only title of the LeBron James era in 2020.
The Suns have all the talent and expert coaching necessary to be a threat in the playoffs. The key for them will be remaining healthy. All eyes will be on Booker and Beal over the last few weeks of the regular season.
Still, if they match up with Denver in a seven-game series, the result won't be a foregone conclusion.
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