NBA Preview: Phoenix Suns

Just two teams left, and with the fourth team in the Pacific Division I will be talking about the Phoenix Suns. After just missing the playoffs two seasons ago, the Suns have been a whirlwind of confusion since. This team is full of talented pieces, it's just that they are all pieces of a different puzzle. They once again have a three-headed-point-guard monster, uninspiring forwards, and an aging center. That's a bit harsh, as this team should be better than last year's when they went without Eric Bledsoe and Brandan Knight for a significant portion, but the rest of the roster is questionable at best. I don't believe, however, that they are the worst in the West this year.

ADDITIONS: F Jared Dudley (Washington), SG Leandro Barbosa (Golden State), PF Dragan Bender (draft), PF Marquese Chriss (draft), PG Tyler Ulis (draft)

SUBTRACTIONS: F/C Jon Leuer (Detroit), PF Mirza Teletovic (Milwaukee), PG Ronnie Price (Oklahoma City), SF Chase Budinger (Brooklyn)

The Suns made two smart additions in free agency, as Jared Dudley and Leandro Barbosa (both of whom had a previous stint in Phoenix) are both veteran leaders, and Barbosa brings extended playoff experience to the table as well. With what I said about uninspiring forwards in the introduction, the Suns at least made the attempt to try and have more inspiring forwards, after trading up to get Marquese Chriss with the eighth pick and selecting Dragan Bender fourth. Both are among the biggest boom or bust players in the draft. PG Tyler Ulis was a potential player of the year candidate among college players last year as well.

PLAYER TO WATCH: I want to see if either Chriss or Bender can prove to be a quality player this season, kind of like Kristaps Porzingis and the New York Knicks last season, but the player to watch here is second year pro G Devin Booker. After Knight only played 50 games and Bledsoe only played about 30, Devin Booker was given the keys to the offense and had a breakout rookie season. If not for former college teammate C Karl-Anthony Towns of Minnesota running away with the Rookie of the Year, Booker would have received serious consideration for the award. Now, with Knight and Bledsoe back, Booker will move to the bench and likely receive enough minutes to keep two of those three on the court together most of the time. It will be exciting to see how Booker performs with less pressure.

BIGGEST CONCERN: The forward position is still a bit concerning, with PJ Tucker out until sometime in late November-early December. SF TJ Warren is more of a bench scorer, as he started only four of the 47 games he played. Newcomer Jared Dudley would have been my bet to start alongside Tucker, but without him it almost has to go to rookie Dragan Bender or Marquese Chriss. They are both among the least polished players in the draft class, but both now are in line to receive major minutes. Chances are, though, at least one of them won't be a bust, right?

BIGGEST UNKNOWN: It's obviously the performance level of Chriss and Bender, but I'll go with something else for this one. The distribution of playing time for fourth year pro Alex Len and veteran Tyson Chandler is also unknown, but I'll go with how the Suns are going to work in all of their guards. Along with Booker, Knight and Bledsoe, they have Leandro Barbosa, Archie Goodwin (who started coming into his own last year) and rookie Tyler Ulis. Likely, Ulis gets bounced, but they still have a minutes shortage here. Booker, Knight and Bledsoe are the three best players on this team, and TJ Warren will get a lot of minutes at the three. Either the Suns will be forced to play extra small, or Barbosa and Goodwin won't contribute much.

PROJECTED STARTING FIVE: C Tyson Chandler, PF Dragan Bender, SF Jared Dudley, SG Brandan Knight, PG Eric Bledsoe

ROTATIONAL PIECES: G Devin Booker, SF TJ Warren, C Alex Len, SG Leandro Barbosa, PF Marquese Chriss

ROUNDING OUT THE ROSTER: G Archie Goodwin, PG Tyler Ulis, F/C Alan Williams, F Derrick Jones, SF PJ Tucker (injured)

PREDICTION: I went with Bender over Chriss solely due to where they were selected in the draft, but it could easily be the other way around. I also am not certain that Alan Williams and/or Derrick Jones will make the roster and the Suns will fill it all the way to fifteen, and they frankly don't need to. The Suns have enough depth to make it through a rebuilding year, especially when PJ Tucker returns from injury. However, it still is a rebuilding year, and I believe the Suns are starting to get on the right track. They just aren't ready to make the playoffs, and a lottery pick is heading to Phoenix, again. I'll go with 32 wins.