A year ago the betting market set the Phoenix Suns' over/under at 30.5 wins. They won 45.
That is the fact to hold onto as Jordan Ott opens his second training camp, because the Suns are no longer sneaking up on anyone. FanDuel moved this season's line to 38.5, and the front office spent the summer adding to the roster rather than standing pat.
Last season in three numbers
45-37. A nine-win improvement under a first-year coach, driven by a defense that NBA.com says climbed from 27th to 9th in efficiency. Phoenix allowed 111.1 points per game.
36. Jalen Green's point total in the play-in win over Golden State, 111-96, that claimed the No. 8 seed after the Suns had blown an 11-point fourth-quarter lead to Portland in the 7-8 game.
0-4. The first-round result against defending champion Oklahoma City. Phoenix lost the opener by 35 and the finale, 131-122, at home on April 27.
The sweep said less about effort than about ceiling. The Suns were built to be tough. They were not built to score with the best team in the league.
Buying offense, at a price
General manager Brian Gregory went after that gap. On July 13 the Suns traded Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale and an unprotected 2033 first-round pick to Charlotte for Miles Bridges, a 2029 first and a 2027 second. Bridges started 77 games last season and averaged 17.1 points.
The unprotected pick is the main reason ESPN graded Phoenix's summer a B-minus. A first-rounder seven years out, with no protection, is the kind of asset that becomes very valuable if the core ages badly.
Phoenix also added Luke Kennard, who led the NBA at 47.8% from three, and locked in Dillon Brooks with a three-year, $73 million extension after his career-high 20.2 points a game. Collin Gillespie, undrafted and once on a two-way deal, re-signed for four years and $48 million after setting a franchise record with 232 threes.
The hole in the middle
Then came September. Mark Williams, re-signed for three years in the summer, tore the labrum in his left shoulder in an offseason workout and will miss several months. He led the team in rebounding.
