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Don’t worry, folks: My NBA first-quarter bets are only a couple of weeks away. Until then, here’s an NBA win total wager to hold you over until the regular season starts.
The pick — Phoenix Suns OVER 46.5 wins (-130, BetRivers)
You can see some strange things in the Arizona desert, and the Suns are one of them.
Phoenix had one of the weirder 2023-24 seasons. Between Bradley Beal’s arrival and injury issues — as well as injuries to Kevin Durant and Devin Booker — the Suns never got to see what their peak would have looked like. They got eliminated from the playoffs in a first-round sweep by the Minnesota Timberwolves, and whispers began to swirl about the Big Three’s viability together.
Yet despite the problems — including 48 combined missed games by Durant, Booker and Beal — Phoenix still reached 49 regular-season victories and finished in the top 10 in net rating.
With a longer offseason, a new head coach, more time to develop chemistry, better health and stronger role players, the Suns are poised for a possible 50-win season.
Keep the ball moving 👏
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 12, 2024
Six passes, all five players involved, leading to a bucket! pic.twitter.com/PIarN9pFrO
As with most things in the NBA, success starts at the top. A major addition was the hiring of head coach Mike Budenholzer, who brings one of the league’s best regular-season track records with 50-plus victories in four of his five seasons with Milwaukee.
The Suns also brought in Tyus Jones and Monte Morris, two much-needed depth pieces who will provide strong ballhandling. With Jones and Morris, the offense can transform from the often-stagnant one-on-one play it had last year to a free-flowing style this season.
Defensively, Phoenix was average in 2023-24, ranking 13th in defensive rating, but Budenholzer should help the Suns become a top-10 defensive team to complement their offensive firepower. He has experience in constructing title-winning defenses, like the one he had with the champion Bucks in 2020-21.
Phoenix should’ve been a 50-win team last season. The Suns had some bizarre losses, including three defeats to the lowly Spurs and setbacks against bad teams like the Raptors. Adding a quality head coach and having actual depth should help Phoenix avoid bad losses.
The Suns should be a 50-win team in 2024-25 with all the improvements they’ve made. So let’s grab this number at 46.5.