NBA.com gives Phoenix Suns a ‘C-plus’ on offseason report card

The NBA.com recently released offseason report cards for each team, and the Phoenix Suns were assigned a grade of a “C-plus.”

Although the score is a little underwhelming, the league’s site indicates there are bigger expectations for Phoenix in 2014-15 due to its inspired run last season.

Some squads were graded for their current talent level in key areas, while other report cards focused on teams’ offseason moves, or lack thereof. Each club received grades in five categories — frontcourt, backcourt, defense, bench and coaching — as well as an overall grade.

Phoenix’s frontcourt was given a mark of “C-plus.” Here’s what the site had to say about the Suns’ forwards and centers:

Miles Plumlee, Markieff Morris and P.J. Tucker made progress last season as key parts of the Phoenix surge. The challenge is to become more than just promising, with Morris the leading candidate to replace Channing Frye as starting power forward.

The Suns’ backcourt was given a “B,” but the NBA’s rationale seems to suggest the grade would be higher if restricted free agent Eric Bledsoe’s status weren’t up in the air. There are recent reports that the Minnesota Timberwolves wanted to sign Bledsoe to a max four-year deal. But the Wolves don’t have the money, and they’d have to sign-and-trade for the Suns guard — a deal which Phoenix reportedly has no interest in.

Here’s what NBA.com wrote about Phoenix’s guards:

Options and uncertainty. Goran Dragic and Gerald Green are back, an encouraging starting point, and Eric Bledsoe may be, pending his outcome as a free agent. If he is back, what will his mood be? And his health?

The Suns were assigned a “C” on defense — their poor defensive rebounding last year being cited — as well as a “C” for their bench. Bledsoe’s status also leaves the strength of the Suns reserves uncertain, although the site does note that newly acquired guard Isaiah Thomas is a Sixth Man of the Year candidate.

A grade of “B” was given to the Suns in the coaching category — seemingly a little low for Jeff Hornacek, who guided his team to a surprising 48-34 record in his first year and finished second in Coach of the Year voting. Basically, the mild score for Hornacek is a reflection of high expectations for him in year two, and whether he’ll be able to live up to them.

Scott Howard-Cooper wrote that the 2013-14 Suns were “a future rally cry for all teams dismissed in preseason predictions.” He added that even a repeat of last season is not impressive enough, however.

Suddenly, not making the playoffs in 2014-15 will be a disappointment. That’s a sudden shift of expectations that will put new pressure on the roster. How players, many of them still young, handle the emotions will be as telling as how they handle opponents.

If a “C” is an average grade, then the Suns’ overall score is only slightly above that threshold. Fifteen teams were given higher marks on their offseason report cards, and one — Oklahoma City — was assigned the exact same grade.

Only four teams — Sacramento, Indiana, Los Angeles and Philadelphia — were given a grade of “D-plus” or worse, while no team was assigned an “F.”