Phoenix Suns: 3 takeaways from 2019 NBA offseason

2. The team will be better next year

Say what you will about the Suns’ game plan, the players they left on the board on draft night or their method of clearing cap space, but they should be a better team next season. That’s been the tagline in Phoenix for a few years now, but this roster finally has a legit rotation to work with.

Much of this will come down to head coach Monty Williams getting his team to buy in in a way Igor Kokoskov could not, but with Oubre sticking around for two more years, Rubio stepping in as a legitimate starting point guard, Saric taking over as the starting 4 and a supporting cast of Bridges, Kaminsky, Baynes and Tyler Johnson, the Suns actually have real NBA players at every position.

Don’t forget, a similar but worse group went 5-2 during one memorable seven-game stretch when Phoenix was healthy last year, right around the time Tyler Johnson got acclimated to his new surroundings. Put a true point guard in his place and bring him off the bench in a more appropriate role and suddenly Phoenix could be competitive on a nightly basis.

Even the tamer, more realistic expectations for Rubio suggest he’ll help Phoenix on both ends of the floor. Baynes is a fierce, defensive-minded backup with an emerging 3-point shot who should help awaken the beast in Deandre Ayton. Oubre takes pressure off Booker to do everything offensively, as does a facilitator of Rubio’s caliber.

Saric is a creative stretch-big who had a down year with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but might thrive again with a change of scenery and can even function as a secondary playmaker at times. Kaminsky will spread the floor, as will Cam Johnson in limited action, while Jerome and Ty Johnson will provide more playmaking and 3-point shooting for the second unit.

At the end of the day, however, the reason these moves are either being defended so fiercely (by those in the valley) or indicted so heavily (by everyone else) is really a reflection on a person’s opinion of Booker and Ayton. None of these moves added a third star to the equation, but simply kept the onus on those two to continue progressing on superstar trajectories.

Whether they get there is a debate for another day, but additions like Ricky Rubio, Aron Baynes, Dario Saric, Frank Kaminsky and two older rookies aren’t going to account for an improvement to 30-win territory for the first time in Booker’s NBA career.

That relies entirely on Booker regaining his 3-point stroke and giving a damn on the defensive end after a career year distributing and shooting the ball within the 3-point arc. It’ll be on Ayton to take the next step toward being passable defensively, especially in the pick-and-roll when opponents try to exploit the mismatch. It’ll be on Bridges to improve on his disappointing shooting year while continuing to embrace his calling as a lockdown defender.

The Phoenix Suns have an adequate supporting cast, and should be better overall next season. But it’s still on the team’s young core to take the next step forward in order for this rebuild to finally gain any traction.