POST REVIEW Sixer Sense NBA Power Rankings
By Bret Stuter
Phoenix Suns
PREDICTED FINISH: 29th 21-61
ACTUAL FINISH : 29th 26-56
What I got right: I got this one virtually intact. The Suns remain a team with plenty of raw and unpolished talent. The real bullseye was calling out team defense as the key statistic. The Suns finished dead last in the NBA. That drug the team down to the 29th place for the season. The problem with this team is the depth chart. They placed two rookies at power forward and a third buried on a depth chart behind two great veterans as point guard. Tell me again why this team never dealt with the Philadelphia 76ers?
What I got wrong: I saw Dragan Bender as the key rookie, when the reality is that Marquese Chriss was the true rookie workhorse. But I saw this team as a confederation of talent and I still see that. While there is certainly plenty of talent and potential, I don’t see much of a team in the making.
ORIGINAL PREDICTION
<p>The Phoenix Suns are sitting on a powder keg of raw NBA talent. The trouble with the team seems to be stacking that talent in the same position.</p> <p>This is a team which has rookie Tyler Ulis, Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight at point guard. This team also has Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss at power forward. That means rookie Allen Willams will have his 6.8 minutes per game slashed even further, and that might be a good thing.</p> <p>But this team lost Mirza Teletovic, a four-year veteran who played just one season for the Suns, and played well. In his place, the team will be counting on a combination of Humphries, Bender, and Chriss, which will likely lead to some degradation – particularly when shooting from beyond the perimeter.</p> <p>With Eric Bledsoe coming off knee surgery and tracking towards starting at point guard, the Suns will be benching a formidable weapon in Brandon Knight and using him off the bench ala Jamal Crawford.</p> <p>Phoenix Sun’s defense counted somewhat on power forward Jon Leuer, another player lost to free agency. Can Bender and Chriss pick up where Teletovic and Leuer left off? Perhaps. But that’s a tall order for this pair of rookies who are still very raw.</p> <p><strong>Key Losses:</strong> Mirza Teletovic, Jon Leuer<br /> <strong>Key Gains:</strong> Dragan Bender<br /> <strong>Key Statistic</strong>: Team Defense<br /> <strong>NBA Power Rankings:</strong> 29th</p>. (22-60). Previous: . Phoenix Suns. 29. team. 66
Final Review. . Phoenix Suns. A+.
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