Suns Must Prove Themselves Worthy of Spotlight

The Phoenix Suns have just nine games on national television going into the season.

CBS Sports writer Jasmyn Wimbish wrote about the team's fall from grace after being one of the most-featured teams on national television last season.

"How the mighty have fallen. Turns out not having Kevin Durant on the team would completely deplete Phoenix's national stature, and this is proof. A tandem of Devin Booker and Jalen Green is going to be intriguing to watch, but clearly, the league didn't think it was worthy enough of more national spotlight," Wimbish wrote.

The only teams with fewer national TV games than the Suns are the Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Pelicans, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards.

The Suns should take this bit and turn it into fuel for themselves going into the season. They were once seen as one of the elites in the league and Kevin Durant's departure should certainly be a reason behind their downfall, but they can still be one of the competitive teams in the Western Conference.

Phoenix still has a lot of star talent in Devin Booker and Jalen Green that deserves to be seen around the world. The only way the Suns can push themselves back to the national spotlight is by winning games and forcing the team to the main stage.

If the Suns can prove their doubters wrong, they can become one of the teams most featured on national television in the 2026-27 season.

The Suns are taking a few weeks off before heading back to training camp at the end of next month. The Suns will be back on the floor in Palm Springs, Calif. on Oct. 3 to face off against LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers.