ESPN panel’s hot and cold predictions paint unclear picture of Suns

If we’re to call the Phoenix Suns a superteam, it is about the roster construction more than the expectations.

The expectations aren’t exactly super high.

Still, Phoenix would not surprise anyone if it finished 2024-25 as a top-10 team or even a top-five team because of its three stars. It would not surprise us, either, if there is stumbling and bumbling like last time around. The low floor and high ceiling again cropped up when ESPN put together an NBA panel that was polled about the 2024-25 season’s yearly awards and more.

A lot of the discussion around the Suns starts with Kevin Durant. He got a single point and ranked 10th in the voting as most likely to win MVP.

But Durant was also among the mentioned players as the most likely star to request a trade, behind New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram, Chicago’s Zach LaVine and Atlanta’s Trae Young. Durant was tied with Miami’s Jimmy Butler with two points in the voting.

It’s hard to shed that reputation.

Another crazy juxtaposition: The Suns received the fourth-most votes among teams to make a leap from last season, behind the Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors. Memphis (Ja Morant is back) and San Antonio (Victor Wembanyama’s improvement) make sense, while there remains faith in Golden State figuring things out in the post-Klay Thompson era.

If you believe in first-year Suns coach Mike Budenholzer, then it makes sense to believe in Phoenix. He received at least a vote as a coach of the year candidate.

But the Suns also were tied for the eighth-most points when the ESPN panel was asked which teams are expected to see the most turmoil.

Leading the list of teams expected to hit choppy waters are the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers. Then comes the Hawks, Bulls, Nuggets, Bucks, Heat and Warriors. Again, all of them are teams with star players and, thus, high expectations.

Here’s the list of the ESPN panelists’ categories that mentioned the Suns:

Who will win NBA MVP?

1. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
2. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
6. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
7. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
8. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
9. Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
10. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns

Who will win NBA Coach of the Year?

1. Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks
2. Mark Daigneault, Oklahoma City Thunder
3. Joe Mazzulla, Boston Celtics
4. Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs
5. Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland Cavaliers
6. Nick Nurse, Philadelphia 76ers
7. Taylor Jenkins, Memphis Grizzlies
8. Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat
9. Ime Udoka, Houston Rockets
10. Jamahl Mosley, Orlando Magic

Others receiving votes: Ty Lue, LA Clippers, Doc Rivers, Milwaukee Bucks, Mike Budenholzer, Phoenix Suns, Mike Brown, Sacramento Kings, Chris Finch, Minnesota Timberwolves, Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors, Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks

Which teams will make a major leap?

1. Memphis Grizzlies
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Golden State Warriors
4. Phoenix Suns
T5. Milwaukee Bucks
T5. Philadelphia 76ers

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