NBA Bubble Power Rankings 2: More games, more change

Last Week: Beat Memphis 108-106, Lost to Philadelphia 132-130, Lost to Denver 132-126, Beat Utah 119-111
This Week: Sunday vs. New Orleans, Tuesday vs. Houston, Thursday vs. Utah

This is a different San Antonio Spurs team than when the season paused in March. It helps that they have not played the most elite of competition but they are acquitting themselves well against the teams they have played.

If a Shake Milton shot had gone differently, the Spurs would be right there with Portland pushing Memphis out of the playoffs. This is not something any but the most ardent of Spurs fans would have expected.

Much of this comes down to the overall improvement of Derrick White. Jr. He has gone over 20 points in four of their five games so far. His season averages of 11.0 points, 3.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds a night seem mediocre. In the bubble, he is averaging 21.8 points, 5.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game. He has also been a stud defensively to pair with his backcourt mate in Dejounte Murray.

The Spurs have a very winnable week ahead of them. New Orleans has looked lost more often than not in the bubble. They beat a depleted Utah team this week and there is a chance that by that point, Utah may want to rest their guys for these nagging issues rather than play the seeding game. Ditto for Houston, though they have been going for it more than most teams so far.

Regardless of where things end up, this has been a positive bubble experience for San Antonio. They may still be going into a rebuild next season but the young talent is there. Getting more eyes on White, Murray and Lonnie Walker has been crucial for their development.

Last Week: Beat Dallas 117-115, Beat Clippers 117-115, Beat Indiana 114-99, Beat Miami 119-112
This Week: Monday vs. Oklahoma City, Tuesday vs. Philadelphia, Thursday vs. Dallas

The Phoenix Suns, for the first time in years, are a ton of fun. They are on their first five-game winning streak since 2014. If you can get past the cash considerations/TJ Warren jokes, this feels like a legitimately likable team.

The only team still undefeated in the bubble, the Suns have been getting it done against real playoff teams. Not just the Wizards and Nets of the world. They beat the Clippers with a breathtaking Devin Booker game-winner over Paul George AND Kawhi Leonard. A fifteen point win against the Pacers is more impressive than initially believed, given they are the only team to contain bubble MVP TJ Warren. While Miami was depleted, they are a hard-nosed team that there is no such thing as an easy win against.

For the people that thought these reps for young teams were important, the Phoenix Suns are making them look resoundingly correct. These are the first meaningful NBA games Devin Booker, Cameron Johnson, Mikal Bridges and Deandre Ayton have ever played in. That matters.

Even if the Suns end up coming up short, this small sample size has been telling about the direction the franchise is taking. They finally have a general manager in place. They have a coach who is an adult in the room and makes his players better. They have veterans like Ricky Rubio and Aron Baynes (even if he is sorely missed in the restart) that hold this team together. The Suns are brighter than they have been in a long time.