Suns Surprisingly Climb NBA Power Rankings

The Phoenix Suns suffered through a season-worst five-game losing streak this past week, which was sure to see the organization drop through numerous NBA power rankings entering this week.

Or so we thought.

The Suns, surprisingly, didn't drop this week. Rather, they were bumped across multiple outlets even after the losing streak:

NBA.com: 12th (up one spot)

John Schuhmann: "The Suns had some pretty brutal finishes as they lost five straight games for the first time this season. They also avoided clutch time as they ended the losing streak on Sunday, handing the Raptors one of their worst losses of the season.

"They still have four games remaining against the top six teams in the West, set to host the Nuggets on Tuesday. They’ve allowed 132.2 points per 100 possessions (their worst mark vs. any opponent) as they’ve lost the first two meetings with Denver."

Our take: Brutal is putting it nicely, as the depleted Suns suffered losses all of eight points or less. However, Phoenix got a clutch win over the Raptors to keep themselves afloat. The schedule, like Schuhmann alludes to, only gets tougher from here in Phoenix.

The Athletic: 12th (up three spots)

Law Murray: "It’s not often that the only game that a team wins in a stretch of five games in seven days is the final one, but that’s what happened for the Suns after a difficult start to the week and a letdown at home against the Bucks (not as bad as Game 5 in 2021, but still bad). Credit the Suns for fighting through physical and mental fatigue and getting a big win against the Raptors. There is a lot of activity in the West standings, but the Suns have had at least a share of seventh place for two months, and that’s where they should expect to stay at this point.

"They can’t realistically move up, and it’s hard to see them falling off deeper into the Play-In realm. The biggest changes for Phoenix’s rotation involve Collin Gillespie earning a starting role, while Grayson Allen settled into a sixth man role. Royce O’Neale also became a starter at power forward, while Ryan Dunn has fallen out of the rotation. Phoenix has had key players out all season, with Jalen Green struggling to start the season and starters Dillon Brooks (hand) and Mark Williams (foot) missing time currently with multi-week injuries."

Our take: It doesn't feel as if the Suns are going to climb out of the seventh spot in the West, as even a win against Denver may not provide a real sense of hope for Phoenix to avoid the play-in tournament. Now, it's about getting healthy and figuring their rotation out from there.