Phoenix Suns: Chris Paul changes playoff outlook for Suns

When the NBA made its restart in the bubble last season, the Phoenix Suns were the hottest team in the league. The Suns scorched through the bubble with a perfect 8-0 record to finish the 2020 season with a 34-39 record that was good for 10th place in the Western Conference.

At the conclusion of last season, you could tell this Suns team was a special group and that they didn’t need much else to be a contending team. As every young and rising team needs, the Suns needed to find a veteran floor general to lead and direct the Suns to success.

Chris Paul changed the entire dynamic of the Phoenix Suns and propelled them to be playoff contenders in his first season with the team.

In doing so, Phoenix pulled the trigger on acquiring one of the best veteran point guards in the league, an 11-time All-Star in Chris Paul. By doing this, the Suns revamped their entire roster so that Paul’s elite playmaking skill set can better accommodate the overall team.

It’s worth mentioning that Paul arrived in Phoenix after a season in which he led the young Oklahoma City Thunder to the playoffs as the fifth seed last season. The 35-year-old averaged 17.6 points and 6.7 assists per game while directing and leading the Thunder to an unexpected playoff berth.

It’s fair to say that this Suns team is reminiscent of their 2010 playoff team that featured Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudamire. With Paul alongside Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, the Suns will be going to the playoffs for the first time in 11-years, ending the fifth-longest playoff drought in NBA history.

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As the master technician of a point guard that Paul is, it’s fair to say that this could be the most talented team he’s played with, certainly in a long time anyway. In proving so, Paul’s 8.7 assists per game are the fourth-most in the league this year and are the most Paul’s had since his last season with the LA Clippers in the 2016-17 season.

Suns head coach Monty Williams coached Paul for one season with the New Orleans Hornets back in 2010. That team finished third in the West with a 46-36 record. Paul recently acknowledged that he knew the type of situation he was getting into when he joined the Suns.

"“I feel like I say this all the time: I know who I am. I knew coming into the situation, I knew who Book was. Book had told me about some of the guys on the team. I knew from playing for Monty [Williams] how detail-oriented he was. Then when I got here, I got a chance to see the culture that they had already built. It’s special.” – Chris Paul, via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN"

Paul, Booker, and Ayton have positioned the Suns as arguably the best team in the West and solidified their playoff berth with a 45-18 record, which ranks them in second place just behind the Utah Jazz who have only half a game on Phoenix in the standings.

With Paul’s leadership, the Phoenix Suns are the most complete team in the conference right now and they’ve been playing like so for a majority of the season. Paul’s presence and experience on the floor are going to prove to be beneficial throughout the playoffs for the Suns.

The Phoenix Suns have nine games left to play on the season with the chance of finishing in first place. They play again on Sunday night against the Thunder and will be looking to win their fourth consecutive game as they build up more momentum heading into the playoffs.