House Of The Rising Suns

The Pacific division was supposed to be all about the Warriors, Lakers, and Clippers this season. Teams studded with superstars that were supposed to be legitimate threats for the NBA title. It turns out that only one of those teams has fallen short of expectations (the Warriors), so which team looks like a playoff team in the Pacific?

The Phoenix Suns, who sit at 5-3 and are in the seventh spot in the Western Conference. It's WAAAAAAAAAY too early in the NBA season to be speculating about who's a playoff team and who isn't. After all, the Portland Trail Blazers are starting the season 3-6 and have a great team. But, the Suns have been impressive so far this season.

There have been some benefits coming the way of Phoenix. First, Ricky Rubio (8.1 APG, fifth in the NBA) has been great at running the floor for Phoenix. Rubio's veteran leadership has also helped develop the likes of Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton.

The Suns have also been a great shooting team; they're second in the league in field goal percentage at 46.8%. They've also shot an effective three-pointer, making 37.3% of their three-point shots (seventh in the NBA). Seeing role players like Kelly Oubre come through for Phoenix has also been a boon.

Granted, there are some things the Suns can work on. For example, Phoenix can be more effective at attacking the boards (27th in the NBA in total rebounds with 43 per game). However, it seems the Suns are finally headed in the right direction. All those years of tanking and roaming the desert seem to have finally paid off... right?