2015-16 NBA Season Preview: Phoenix Suns

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Phoenix Suns

2014-15

Offseason Roundup

Projected Starting 5

• PG Eric Bledsoe
• SG Brandon Knight
• SF P.J. Tucker
• PF Markieff Morris
• C Tyson Chandler

MVP: Eric Bledsoe

Bledsoe is the whirring engine that makes the Suns go: his speed allows them to push the tempo (they played at the league's third fastest pace last season); his daring and creativity make them a potential pace-and-space terror; and his strength and balance allow them to play multi-point guard lineups without giving much back on the defensive end.

Bledsoe had a quietly excellent season last year amid drama and turmoil in Phoenix, and finally managed to stay healthy (he played 81 games after missing 87 the previous three seasons). There's no reason he shouldn't be able to build on it in 2015-16.

He's back in familiar territory, left to split ball-handling duties and share the court with another one-guard (the Suns locked Brandon Knight up to a four-year, $70-million extension as soon as he hit restricted free agency). How Bledsoe handles that will go a long way toward determining which team the Suns more closely resemble: the fun, freewheeling, turbocharged outfit that shocked everyone and came within a game of the playoffs in 2013-14, or the one that moped and shrugged and dragged its feet to close last season 11-23.

Breakout Player: T.J. Warren

As his rookie season wore on and the Suns' playoff jockeying gave way to youngsters' auditions, Warren began to distinguish himself, flashing the multifaceted offensive game that made him the ACC's leading scorer in his final year at NC State.

Warren's also a bit of a throwback. He may never extend his range to 3-point territory, but he's an adept cutter and mid-range shooter with a nose for the ball and a nice touch around the hoop. He doesn't need the ball in his hands to thrive, and he's an amorphous tweener that can be deployed as a power forward in smaller lineups.

There's a good chance he'll usurp P.J. Tucker's starting spot by season's end.

Season Expectations

Momentum, as the Suns learned last season, is a fickle thing. It doesn't move in one direction for long, and sustainable success is contingent on figuring out how to adjust after it slows or stops or shifts. When the Suns' train hit a snag - when they were stripped of the warm, fuzzy feelings that accompanied the previous year's explosion of expectations - they fell apart.

They're looking to wash away that bad taste, even as Markieff Morris - with his noisy trade posturing - seemed intent on making it linger. They picked up a high-character guy in Tyson Chandler, who should provide some sorely needed leadership and a considerable boost at the defensive end (where the Suns ranked 17th last season). They opened their wallets to re-sign Knight. They even made a spirited push to nab LaMarcus Aldridge. If nothing else, they showed they're not ready to give up on the happy accident they stumbled into two years ago.

They conceded that last year's experiment - having three ball-dominant point guards - put one too many cooks in the kitchen, but they'll give the two-point guard look another try with Knight in Goran Dragic's place. Knight isn't as crafty or quick with the ball as Dragic, nor nearly as dangerous in transition, but he's an excellent shooter who should be more comfortable playing off the ball. Chandler also looks like a great stylistic fit: a mobile, springy center who offers top-line rim protection without sacrificing speed.

On paper, the Suns look like a better team than they were last season. If things break right, they'll be there with the Utah Jazz, vying to break into the top eight in the unforgiving West.