Suns' Placement in Latest NBA Power Rankings Isn't Surprising

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns' latest placement across various NBA power rankings this week isn't surprising.

The Suns have lost their last six-of-eight games entering this final stretch of regular season action, so it wasn't exactly expected for Phoenix to climb either the actual Western Conference standings or the power rankings.

That was exactly the case this week.

The Athletic: No. 14 (No. 12 last week)

Law Murray: "After the five-in-seven schedule they had the previous week, the Suns could have used a three-day break. They were instead rewarded with a five-day break, as the Jazz came to visit. Gillespie’s jump shot took the night off Saturday, as he missed all eight shots (all 3s). He’s still been a revelation in Phoenix, making up for the early-season loss of Jalen Green while finally freeing Devin Booker from point guard duties. Think about the fact that he’s here starting, while former Sun Tyus Jones is in Denver, Gillespie’s original NBA team."

Our take: Gillespie has been a massive proponent for the Suns' season thus far, operating as an essential engine in Phoenix's backcourt for starting and rotational stretches through majority of the season. He's one of the team's top three-point shooters and facilitates the offense with ease. In hindsight Gillespie was a massive upgrade over Jones in nearly every facet, though Gillespie could very well be playing his way out of town price-wise as free agency nears.

NBA.com: No. 12 (No. 12 last week)

John Schuhmann: "The Suns remain firmly in seventh place in the West, having lost a nail-biter to the Nuggets and blown out the Jazz last week. But they still have some work to do to hold off the Clippers and keep home-court advantage in the No. 7-8 SoFi Play-In Tournament game. The Suns will play six of their final eight games on the road, with a four-game trip beginning in Memphis on Monday. They’ll be at a rest disadvantage the following night in Orlando, currently 3-7 (0-4 on the road) in rest-disadvantage games this season."

Our take: Phoenix previously went 7-3 over a ten-game stretch and just couldn't escape the play-in tournament. It feels like they just might have been destined to take part. Now, it's all about playing damage control and not letting the 2.5-game-back Clippers catch up. It's a tough slate to end the year, though the Suns will have to ensure they're up to task.