Phoenix enters 2026-27 with a different kind of pressure: the Suns have already shown they can raise their floor under Jordan Ott. The next assignment is proving that a 45-win season, a Play-In breakthrough and a defensive turnaround can translate against the West’s better teams.
A reset that produced wins, then a quick exit
- Phoenix remade its direction last offseason, sending Kevin Durant out in a deal that brought back Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green, then handing the coaching job to first-time head coach Jordan Ott.
- The Suns finished 45-37, good for seventh in the Western Conference and a nine-win improvement from the prior season.
- Devin Booker remained the offensive hub, averaging 26.1 points and 6.0 assists per game.
- Ott’s group made its sharpest gains on the defensive end, moving from 27th in defensive rating in 2024-25 to ninth last season.
- Phoenix reached the 2026 NBA Playoffs through the SoFi Play-In Tournament, including an April elimination of Golden State in a win-or-go-home game.
- The run ended immediately against Oklahoma City, which swept the Suns in the first round and won the four games by an average of 17.3 points.
The offseason response has been to reshape the supporting cast around Booker again. Phoenix acquired Miles Bridges from Charlotte, sending Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale the other way. Bridges supplies a proven scoring option and gives the frontcourt more size and lineup flexibility, particularly with Mark Williams expected to miss several months because of a shoulder injury.
Luke Kennard also arrived to replace some of the perimeter shooting that left in the Allen-O’Neale trade. Allen made 159 3-pointers last season and O’Neale hit 212, a combined 371 makes that need to be redistributed.
Gillespie’s shooting load could grow again
Collin Gillespie is positioned to take on a bigger share of that responsibility. The 27-year-old guard went undrafted in 2022, spent his first two NBA seasons on two-way contracts and then established himself in Phoenix’s rotation.
In 2025-26, Gillespie posted career highs of 12.7 points, 4.6 assists, 28.5 minutes and 58 starts per game or season category, while setting the Suns’ single-season franchise mark with 232 made 3-pointers. Phoenix rewarded him with a four-year contract during the summer.
His value was not limited to spacing. Gillespie ranked second on the roster in assists, steals and games played last season, bringing the competitive edge that has become part of Ott’s early identity in Phoenix.
The possession battle remains Phoenix’s calling card
The Suns generated 3.1 more shot attempts per game than opponents last season, the third-best margin in the league. That stood in stark contrast to 2024-25, when they took 4.3 fewer shots per night than their opponents, the NBA’s third-worst figure. The year-to-year swing was 7.4 attempts per game, more than twice the improvement recorded by any other team.
Phoenix got there by crashing the glass and forcing mistakes. The Suns ranked sixth in offensive rebound percentage and third in opponent turnover rate. Those extra possessions helped offset weaker shooting and free-throw differentials.
Still, the formula had limits. Phoenix went 21-30 against the 19 teams that finished with winning records, the fourth-worst mark in that set. The Suns also lost the possession count in three of the four games against Oklahoma City. For a team that did not always maximize its chances, getting more of them was often the difference between beating lesser opponents and falling short of the conference’s upper tier.
Center minutes are open while Williams recovers
Williams’ shoulder injury puts the opening-night center job in play. Oso Ighodaro, Khaman Maluach and newly added Duop Reath are the primary options heading into a five-game preseason.
- Ighodaro appeared in all 82 games last season and developed into one of Phoenix’s more switchable, versatile defenders.
- Maluach enters his second year after being selected No. 10 in the 2025 Draft. Across four Summer League appearances, he averaged 19.5 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks, earning Second Team All-Summer League recognition.
- Reath, 30, spent his first three NBA seasons with Portland. He averaged 6.2 points across 146 career games with the Trail Blazers.
Those preseason minutes will matter. Bridges can offer frontcourt versatility, but Phoenix still needs a dependable interior answer while Williams is out, especially against the larger clubs at the top of the conference.
Early dates that will test the new group
- Oct. 24, Warriors at Suns: Phoenix and Golden State meet again after the Suns ended the Warriors’ season in the April Play-In matchup.
- Oct. 26, Suns at Thunder: The Suns get an immediate look at the defending opponent from their first-round sweep.
- Oct. 30, Nuggets at Suns: Phoenix went 0-3 against Denver last season. This first 2026-27 meeting also opens Emirates NBA Cup group play for the Suns.
- Nov. 7, Rockets at Suns: Durant returns to Phoenix with a Houston team that has established itself among the West’s stronger clubs.
- Nov. 15, Lakers at Suns: Booker and Luka Dončić headline a Pacific Division matchup built around two of the league’s elite shot-makers.
Phoenix has the pieces of a team that can again win possession battles, defend at a high level and put enough scoring around Booker to stay in the playoff mix. The question is whether Bridges, Kennard, Gillespie and the unsettled center rotation can lift that baseline when the opponent is Oklahoma City, Denver, Houston or another team with a winning record.
