The Phoenix Suns’ offense is one of the best in the NBA

PHOENIX – The 2024-25 Phoenix Suns enter the season opener with high hopes of not only improving on last season, but also aiming for the long-awaited NBA title.

Many national analysts – from John Hollinger to Kevin O’Connor – have recently launched a campaign that paints the Suns’ view in a much more optimistic light. This narrative has continued to gain traction, although not as much as it should have.

CBS Sports NBA analyst Sam Quinn also rates the Suns relatively highly – but an argument could be made that ranking the Suns’ offense as eighth-best in the NBA is still below the ceiling for this group.

More from Quinn below:

2023-24 Offensive Rating: 116.8
2023-24 Offensive Ranking: No. 10

This is a split-the-difference ranking for Phoenix. The risk of injury is so high here that the Suns could potentially post a below-average offensive rating. The talent here is so great that the Suns could also end up in the top three. I’m leaning toward the latter because Phoenix cleaned up so many little things this offseason. They now have point guards! Tyus Jones and Monte Morris are by no means stars, but you don’t have to give them stars elsewhere on the roster. Mike Budenholzer teams usually have excellent shooting diets. Last year’s Suns took way too many mid-range shots and never got to the rim or shot threes. Budenholzer won’t completely take Kevin Durant and Devin Booker out of the middle, but he can direct the offense in the more efficient directions it needed. The Suns are a little more prepared for injuries this season than they were a season ago.

– Quinn on the Phoenix offense

The split-difference approach is very fair – as an untimely injury to Devin Booker or Kevin Durant could put the offense in a misleading position on the offensive side of the ball – while the personnel are also there to provide a top -3 result to experience.

Shooting diet will also be an important factor, as the fewest three-pointers made by Phoenix in the preseason were 36. They are on pace to be at the top of the league in both volume and efficiency behind the arc, especially with eight players shooting over 35% last season.

Depth is also a huge deal, with Monte Morris and Tyus Jones both representing clear opportunities to impose a clear offensive philosophy this season. The two point guards are extremely turnover-averse, but at the same time are willing and efficient spot-up shooters. Mason Plumlee, Oso Ighodaro and Frank Kaminsky appear to be an untold improvement in frontcourt depth compared to 2023-24. Jusuf Nurkic looks like a different player – albeit in a small sample.

The offensive players around Durant and Booker are clearly ready to officially achieve the elite status that was expected after the acquisition of Bradley Beal last June – they just need to show it on the court.

The Suns finished behind the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks.

While all of the teams mentioned above are certainly good picks ahead of Phoenix, it would be difficult to find any of them outside of Boston that meet the ceiling that the Suns have, from playing style to top talent and everything in between.