Phoenix Suns Predicted To Finish With Same Record As Four Other Teams

NBA fans still have about a month and a half left of waiting before the start of the 2022-23 season, but it does not mean that predictions are not going to start flying around.

Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report recently released his predictions for each team's NBA record, and the Phoenix Suns are expected to share a 52-30 record with four other teams based on over/under betting odds.

The Suns have an over/under of 53.5 wins based on oddsmakers, while the Boston Celtics are at 56.5, Denver Nuggets at 50.5, Golden State Warriors at 52.5 and the Milwaukee Bucks at 53.5.

Phoenix fans may be quick to call out the prediction because of their belief in their squad as being the best in the Western Conference, but it may be for the best.

The Suns were embarrassingly forced out of the Western Conference playoffs last season after falling in the semifinals to the Dallas Mavericks in a 123-90 rout in Game 7.

That game saw them trail by as much as 46 points and fans were not happy with how their team performed, subsequently calling out the franchise to trade Deandre Ayton because of his perceived issues with head coach Monty Williams.

Both Ayton and Williams have since buried the hatchet and are now facing the future together.

They also seemed to be struggling internally early in the postseason as they were forced into a Game 7 situation by an upstart New Orleans Pelicans team led by Brandon Ingram, the recently acquired CJ McCollum plus rookies Herbert Jones and Jose Alvarado.

All in all, the postseason was not nice to the Suns as they had a target on their backs after being proclaimed as the best team in the West and were expected to return to the NBA Finals.

That did not happen and they have since been making strides to better prepare for the new season.

Phoenix was able to re-sign restricted free agent Deandre Ayton after much drama that involved the Detroit Pistons and a signed offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers.

They also made small improvements around the roster after signing backup guard Damion Lee from the Warriors and Josh Okogie from the Minnesota Timberwolves while retaining bench contributors Bismack Biyombo and Ish Wainwright.

Currently, they are still involved in trade rumors with Kevin Durant, but the chances of that happening now are slim to none at best because of the haul that the Brooklyn Nets are asking for.

Finishing with a 52-30 record still puts them in a prime position to do well in the postseason since it would mean that they will be resting more of their players in the regular season.

While Chris Paul, 37, is not a big fan of load management, his longtime mentor in Williams may be able to convince him that this is the only way to ensure he remains fresh in the playoffs.

Suns fans are eager to see their franchise get another crack at the NBA title after not being able to win one despite their storied history.

After posting a new franchise record last season, their focus going into this season is on ensuring that all of their guys are ready to play in case someone goes down with injury.

All of the marbles are on the table for the Suns this season, and fans are hoping that they can recapture the magic that made them such a feared force in the West.