Suns 2016-17 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions
This time last year, the Phoenix Suns had eyes on the NBA playoffs. Now, the question is whether the Suns will finish with the worst record in the Western Conference.
The NBA released Phoenix's schedule for the 2016-17 season Thursday.
Phoenix's 2015-16 campaign was a case of Murphy's Law in action.
Head coach Jeff Hornacek was fired in February. Through his behavior on and off the court, Markieff Morris gave the Suns little recourse but to trade him in the same month. The early returns on the Tyson Chandler signing haven't been good. Capping things off, the backcourt duo of Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight combined to play 83 games.
Whereas, the Suns looked to be a team on the rise this time last year, Phoenix is now in rebuilding mode. In that sense, finishing with a dreadful record won't be the worst thing in the world. If the Suns are gonna be bad, they might as well be bad enough to get another top-five pick.
While the team isn't going anywhere in the short term, Dragan Bender's development and head coach Earl Watson's handling of the roster in his first full season will provide two interesting storylines to follow throughout the year.
Below are Phoenix's top matchups in the campaign ahead and a prediction for where the team is likely to finish.
2016-17 Details
Season Opener: Wednesday, Oct. 26 vs. Sacramento Kings.
Championship Odds: 500-1 (via Odds Shark and as of August 11).
Top Matchups
When: Nov. 6, Dec. 9, Feb. 15 and March 9
Since the Suns' fortunes for 2016-17 are looking somewhat bleak, it's doubtful any one series will carry more weight for Phoenix than the rest of the schedule.
With that said, the Los Angeles Lakers might be a good barometer for Phoenix's progression in the upcoming season.
The Lakers are a little better off in the short term, and the signings of Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov show the team is more geared toward winning now. But Los Angeles is still a rebuilding franchise centered around D'Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle.
Barring the addition of a marquee star like Russell Westbrook, the Lakers and Suns' trajectories should be the same, making their regular-season clashes this year a little more interesting.
Down the line, it would be great to see Phoenix and Los Angeles spark their mini-rivalry once again, this time with Russell and Devin Booker taking over for Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash.
When: Dec. 13 and Jan. 21
The comparisons were inevitable, but Bender isn't exactly the same player that Kristaps Porzingis is. That won't change many fans from linking the two Eastern Europeans together as they progress in their NBA careers.
As a rookie, Porzingis averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks a night. He also shot 33.3 percent from three-point range. Naturally, his success has led to some expecting a similarly smooth transition into the NBA for Bender.
Bleacher Report's Lars Anderson spoke to an NBA scout who considers Bender to be a stronger prospect:
"Dragan is more advanced at his age than [Porzingis] was when he was 18. Dragan has great length, and he can block shots. He can run the floor, and his ability to finish at the rim is exceptional. His shot is getting better all the time. On defense, he has the ability to guard the 4 or the 5. He needs to gain weight and strength, but his potential is jaw-dropping.
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Anderson also shared a story of Bender playing against Porzingis in a Euroleague youth tournament and scoring 11 points.
"That was the day things changed for me," said Bender of the game. "That was when I realized I could have a shot at going places."
Bender and Porzingis won't see each other much during the regular season over the course of their careers, unless one of the two switches conferences. That will make the times when they do face off all the more entertaining.
Record Prediction
It seems foolish to completely dismiss the Suns' playoff chances when we're not far removed from the Portland Trail Blazers being largely an afterthought and then finishing fifth in the West.
Still, it would be a major surprise if Phoenix even cracked .500, let alone qualified for the postseason.
For one, both Bledsoe and Knight are injury concerns. Bledsoe has played in 43 or fewer games in three of his six years in the league, and Knight has missed 49 combined games over the last two years.
Phoenix's frontcourt is also very young, especially in the event Watson plays Bender at the 3. Part of this year will be about letting Bender and Marquese Chriss grow on the court, and that will come at the cost of giving the team its best chance to win in the present.
Presumably, Booker, 19, T.J. Warren, 22, and Archie Goodwin, 21, will see their roles grow, too, as the team shifts its focus fully on the future, further diminishing Phoenix's chances of putting together a winning record.
The Suns allowed the third-most points in the league last year (107.5 PPG) and ranked 26th in defensive rating (107 points allowed per 100 possessions), per NBA.com. While Chriss' arrival should help Phoenix inside, defense will continue to be an issue, especially with Chandler entering his age-34 season.
The 2016-17 season will likely be a bumpy one for Phoenix, but fans will take that if the franchise shows signs that long-term improvement is on the way.
Prediction: 30-52
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