For the first time since their trip to the NBA Finals in 2021, the Phoenix Suns came into the season with no expectations.
Prior to the season, they were projected to be as low as 14th in the Western Conference and win only 32 games. No one thought they would be sitting at 13-9 through 22 games and in seventh in the West.
ESPN NBA insider Bobby Marks said he would consider the Suns the biggest surprise in the NBA when he spoke on Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Wednesday.
“I think there’s a lot of great stories,” Marks said. “I would say based on where the expectations were, which weren’t very high at all, I think it’s probably the best story, in a positive way, that we’ve seen here.”
In the years since their Finals run, the team constantly could not live up to what the fanbase wanted. Whether it was getting blown out at home in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals or flat-out missing the playoffs in 2025, hope was hard to come by in Phoenix.
However, Marks noted that succeeding without expectations can help overcome some of the feelings of disappointment that came when the team had star power and lofty goals.
“When nothing is expected of you and then you come out and you win a bunch of games … that builds the community that probably had lost some hope with this organization,” Marks said.
The 2025-26 Suns are a team that isn’t powered by superstars. Devin Booker is still around, but the Suns were able get a decisive 125-108 victory on Monday with Booker only playing 10 minutes.
Even if they aren’t quite championship contenders yet, the vibes are up in Phoenix, and the team even made it to the elimination rounds of the NBA Cup, which start Dec. 10.
