ESPN’s Bobby Marks explains why he believes the Suns will win the Western Conference

While 11 of 14 ESPN insiders picked the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the Western Conference in ESPN’s NBA 2024-25 opening night: Experts’ picks, ESPN NBA front officeiInsider Bobby Marks selected the Phoenix Suns to advance to the NBA Finals.

Marks, the only ESPN pundit who picked the Suns, believes the Suns’ experience supersedes the Thunder’s youth.

The Suns entered the 2024-25 season as the league’s second-oldest team with an average age of 28.26 years. Only the Philadelphia 76ers are marginally older with an average age of 28.31 years.

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder are the youngest team in the NBA with an average age of 24.148 years.

Marks joined Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Thursday and explained his reasoning.

“I like the (Suns’) veterans. I just I don’t think Oklahoma City’s quite there yet,” Marks said.

“In a seven-game series, I’m taking Kevin Durant over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In a playoff series, I think (Durant) could be your best player on the court.”

Despite the Suns’ playoff shortcomings last season where they were swept by Minnesota in the first round, Durant still averaged 26.8 points per game while shooting 55% from the field, 41.7% from three and 82.4% from the line.

Marks is also high on new Suns coach Mike Budenholzer.

“I think Bud is like the under the radar type story,” Marks said. “Listen, the style that Bud’s gonna play in Phoenix, I think he’s a heck of a coach. I think being in a big moment, certainly winning a championship in Milwaukee and showing his success in Atlanta. I think that plays a role.”

Budenholzer has coached 104 playoff games in his career (56-48) and has advanced to at least the conference finals on three separate occasions.

In 2015, Budenholzer led the Hawks to a 60-22 record, their best finish in 21 years and a trip to the conference finals.

When Budenholzer was the coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, he defeated the Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals and won Milwaukee’s first NBA title since 1971.

Marks also likes the addition of Tyus Jones to the Suns roster after agreeing much of their detriment last season was not having a true point guard.

In the Suns’ 116-113 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, the Suns had 22 turnovers as a team and Jones had none of them.

“I just think he presents such a calming factor to it,” Marks said of the 28-year-old Jones. “I think just the addition alone solves a lot of different, maybe a little bit of struggles here, and it gives you a veteran presence on the floor where the ball doesn’t have to be in Devin (Booker) or Bradley (Beal’s) hands maybe as much as it was a year ago.”