What Suns Can Learn From Remaining Playoff Teams

The 2024-25 season has now been over for three weeks for the Phoenix Suns - a tumultuous 36-46 record kept the franchise out of the postseason for the first time since 2020 - and everyone within the organization has watched rival teams that were built wildly different succeed thus far.

Of the eight teams remaining, the vast majority have been built in congruent fashions - these are lessons that can be learned from the franchise moving forward.

While the Suns went all-in on a top-to-bottom approach, virtually every team still standing has operated under a premise of building rock-solid teams around a singular superstar talent.

Take a look at how each team was constructed:

Superstar Talent

• Indiana Pacers (Tyrese Haliburton)

• Cleveland Cavaliers (Donovan Mitchell)

• Boston Celtics (Jayson Tatum)

• New York Knicks (Jalen Brunson)

• Minnesota Timberwolves (Anthony Edwards)

• Golden State Warriors (Stephen Curry)

• Oklahoma City Thunder (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander)

• Denver Nuggets (Nikola Jokic)

Phoenix can fulfill this need - with or without Kevin Durant.

Devin Booker evolved yet again as a playmaker in 2024-25 despite struggling in the scoring department relative to typical standards.

Booker remains the unquestioned franchise player along with being one of the few stars in the league that is likely to finish top 10 in both scoring and assist figures.

Supporting Stars

• Pascal Siakam, Evan Mobley, Jaylen Brown, Karl-Anthony Towns, Julius Randle, Jimmy Butler, Jalen Williams, Jamal Murray

While all of the supporting stars have come from different walks and have been acquired in different fashions, the same general rule applies here - each of these stars brings something distinct to the court that plays perfectly within the context of the team.

For example, Butler has propelled the Warriors from an average team to one that looks to be a fringe contender behind his hard-nosed defense, ability to get to the free-throw line, and court vision that results in more advantages being created in compliment of Curry.

Phoenix has to find an accompanying high-end talent alongside Booker - it's a non-negotiable. While the 'big three' arrangement doesn't work any longer (unless the stars are developed in-house), the two-star formations are faring quite well currently.

Diamond-in-Rough Role Player

• Aaron Nesmith, Ty Jerome, Sam Hauser, Miles McBride, Naz Reid, Brandin Podziemski, Aaron Wiggins, Christian Braun

All of the players mentioned above had previously been underrated across the league in one form or another and have developed into key cogs in these title hopefuls - the adage that a championship is won across the margins could very well ring true this year.

Phoenix has to continue to find prospects such as Ryan Dunn that are simultaneously risky and high-upside with the limited draft assets in hand. If the franchise can continue to find quality at the back-end of the first round and throughout the second round, they can certainly climb out of what seems to be a bleak situation.

Elite Level Coach

David Adelman may not be battle tested enough to be considered amongst the elite coaches in the NBA, but the interim for the Denver Nuggets just out-coached Tyronn Lue - considered one of the very best in the business - in a playoff series.

Tom Thibodeau is the only head coach remaining that hasn't been praised by the general consensus over the course of this season - even then, Thibodeau is a multi-time coach of the year recipient.

The moral of the story? Efficient systems, an ability to connect with players, and an innate attention to detail are all vital to a successful basketball team.

While an elite coach isn't always enough to boost a team with subpar talent to the postseason, the coach typically can make a world of difference in the grand scheme of things.

Freshly minted Suns general manager Brian Gregory could be making one of the most crucial decisions in the history of the franchise in the upcoming weeks when he is likely to hire a first-time head man under the premise that the new leader can connect with the locker room more naturally.

Most important in this case study is that the vast majority of these organizations are well connected - they typically have a singular executive in charge of making decisions. They draft and scout extraordinarily well. They find promising basketball minds and advance said minds through the organization.

One thing is certain - Phoenix must follow suit of some of these model franchises if a championship is to come to Phoenix in the near future.

Mat Ishbia and company appear to be heading in that direction - as Brian Gregory is now the full-time general manager, a new head coach is within reach, and Booker seems to be bought in as it pertains to Ishbia's vision.