5 increasingly bold NBA predictions for the highly anticipated 2024–25 season

3) The Phoenix Suns will make the Western Conference Finals

The sun was not shining bright in Phoenix last season, as the Suns woefully underachieved. They finished as the sixth seed in the West and got swept in the first round at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves. That led to them firing Frank Vogel and hiring another championship coach in Mike Budhenholzer. 

Budhenholzer is an offensive mastermind who will fix the Suns’ stagnant offense. In his time with Atlanta and Milwaukee, off-ball movement and cutting were staples of his offenses. While these concepts sound simple, Phoenix had none of them last season. It was a lot of your turn, my turn between Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.

Now this season, with Booker, Durant, and hopefully a healthy Bradley Beal, the Suns have the talent and the coach to make a deep postseason run. They also added Tyus Jones as their starting point guard. Jones has been one of the more underrated floor generals in his time in the league and will give Phoenix a willing distributor in their lineup and allow Booker to go back to his natural shooting guard spot.

The depth is impressive as well, with rookie Ryan Dunn coming in. Dunn was probably the best perimeter defender in the draft and if his three-point shot comes along, he will be a vital piece for the Suns come playoff time. Veteran shooter Grayson Allen, who just led the league in three-point percentage is back, and Royce O’Neale, Mason Plumlee, and Jusuf Nurkic provide valuable frontcourt depth.

Phoenix is primed for a bounce-back with a retooled roster and coaching staff. Along with having one of the most explosive offensive duos in the NBA, Booker and Durant, a deep postseason run is in the cards.