NBA

Phoenix Suns: Three reasons to watch

AJ Neuharth-Keusch, USA TODAY Sports
Devin Booker dribbles up the court against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With the 2016-17 NBA season on the horizon, USA TODAY Sports highlights the top three reasons to watch all 30 teams. We also recap any significant moves made in the offseason and project how your favorite team will finish.

Watchability ranking: 28th

What’s different? The Suns struck gold on draft night, nabbing Dragan Bender, the 7-1, No. 4 pick from Croatia, and Marquese Chriss, the 6-10, No. 8 pick out of Washington. They also re-signed two former Suns — Jared Dudley and Leandro Barbosa. They weren’t able to hold on to their biggest perimeter threat (2.3 three-pointers per game at 39.3%) in Mirza Teletovic, who set the single-season NBA record for three-pointers made off the bench last year.

All-Kentucky backcourt: With Eric Bledsoe, 26, and Devin Booker, 19, slated to be the starting backcourt in Phoenix, Brandon Knight, 24, becomes arguably the most talented sixth man in the NBA. He's capable of starting on plenty of teams throughout the league, but if he embraces his role as the leader of the second unit and the team's primary scoring option off the bench, the Suns will reap the benefits.

Brandon Knight, Devin Booker and Eric Bledsoe all played college basketball at the University of Kentucky.

Pace: The Suns ranked fourth in the league in pace of play last season, often to a fault, as they ranked last in turnover ratio and opponents’ fast-break points. And although it might not translate to success, coach Earl Watson said he expects his team to play even faster this season. That style has the potential to work with this young, athletic roster, and — if nothing else — it'll certainly be fun to watch. 

Versatility: Bender has a center’s height but the versatility to play anywhere in the frontcourt; Chriss is a high-flying athlete with three-point range; Booker is a pure shooter with the physical tools to play multiple positions; Dudley, a traditional small forward, thrived as a stretch-4 in Washington last season. The Suns can experiment with all sorts of lineups and rotations this season, and that's exactly what we expect them to do.

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

(Statistics from 2015-16 season)

  • Eric Bledsoe (31 games played) - Points: 20.4, assists: 6.1, rebounds: 4.0, steals: 2.0, field goal percentage: 45.3%
  • Devin Booker - Points: 13.8, rebounds: 2.5, assists: 2.6, steals: 0.6, field goal percentage: 42.3%
  • T.J. Warren - Points: 11.0, rebounds: 3.1, assists: 0.9, steals: 0.8, field goal percentage: 50.1%
  • Jared Dudley (with Washington) - Points: 7.9, rebounds: 3.5, assists: 2.1, steals: 0.9, field goal percentage: 47.8%
  • Tyson Chandler - Points: 7.2, rebounds: 8.7, assists: 1.0, blocks: 0.7, field goal percentage: 58.3%

How good can they be? Their 23-game win total from last season should see a slight increase. They’re certainly on the right track, but don’t expect them to be around for an 83rd game.

USA TODAY’s projection: 26-56

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