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Photo Courtesy of ABC
No one expected such a hot start from the Phoenix Suns. A modest leap forward, sure, but nothing like what we’ve seen from Devin Booker and Co.
After all, this franchise won a grand total of 19 games last year, and the team is in the midst of a nine season playoff drought. Improvement has been drastically lacking and needed.
This summer Phoenix brought in Monty Williams as head coach, and a few crafty veterans to round out the roster. The team got just a bit more professional, but still, the assumption was that the Suns would still be firmly rebuilding.
Deandre Ayton - the number one pick from last year’s draft - was suspended for 25 games on just the second night of the season. He tested positive for diuretics, an illegal substance in the league because it can make you urinate a lot to flush your system from other drugs. This overshadowed what had been an exciting 29-point win on Phoenix’s opening night. “Why can’t we have nice things?” woeful Suns fans muttered in unison.
Undeterred, Monty Williams and his upshot Suns persisted. Phoenix pushed a very talented Denver Nuggets team to overtime, losing by a single point. The next night the Suns had an even better night, besting the Lost Angeles Clippers by nine.
With impressive victories also coming against the Jazz and the Warriors, the Suns already have some improbable signature wins on the season. Just a year removed from abject ineptitude, Phoenix may have truly turned a new leaf. At the time of this writing, the club is 5-2 on the year and tied for second place in the Western Conference.