Phoenix Suns insider gives prediction for 2025-26 season
Arizona Republic writer Duane Rankin gives his prediction for the Phoenix Suns’ 2025-26 season, including win-loss record and playoff chances.
SALT LAKE CITY – The Phoenix Suns started slow, battled back from a 20-point deficit to force overtime, but couldn’t cap the comeback with a win against the Utah Jazz.
The Suns (1-3) finished their three-game road trip winless, falling 138-134 to the Jazz (2-1), on Monday, Oct. 27, before a sellout crowd of 18,186 at Delta Center. The Suns were competitive, but couldn’t overcome the weaknesses that have haunted them early in the season.
“We needed this one,” Suns guard Devin Booker said. “It puts more pressure on the next one. I know it’s early in the season, but we need to start looking at these as games we must get.”
Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen delivered a career-high 51 points, going a perfect 17-of-17 from the line, with the final two coming with 1.9 seconds left in overtime to seal the win.
Keyonte George posted 26 points, 10 assists and five rebounds while Walker Kessler went for 25 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks for Utah.
Booker paced the Suns (1-3) with 34 points and 10 assists and only two turnovers after committing a career-high nine in a 133-111 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
The Jazz grabbed 28 offensive rebounds and scored 25 points off just 14 Phoenix turnovers.
Phoenix was without Dillon Brooks (right groin soreness) and Jalen Green (right hamstring strain), who has yet to play a game for his new team.
Here are takeaways from the game, as Phoenix returns home looking to snap its three-game skid Oct. 29 against the Memphis Grizzlies (2-2) at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Flaws outweighing spirited play
The Suns have yet to play a game with their full roster intact, but as Grayson Allen said after the game, they have to “control” what they can at a high level to win.
That means tightly secure their defensive backboard even against bigger and taller teams.
Utah is the NBA’s exception in terms of height at all three frontcourt positions, but the Suns, outside of center, are relatively small. They still can’t lose the rebounding battle by a 64-48 margin and expect to win. That alone is greatly factoring into the Suns being 29th out of 30 teams in defensive rating.
The Suns went to double bigs in Nick Richards and Oso Ighodaro. Had some good moments, but that look takes a shooter off the floor.
Live-ball turnovers lead to disaster.
The Suns want to play aggressive, pressure defense, but that’s leading to fouls and free throws for the opponent. Phoenix was 27th in the league in fouls per game at 27 entering games of Oct. 28.
That’s also leading to opponents attempting 31.8 free throws a game against them. Only four teams are watching their opponent live longer at the line. Utah finished 34-of-36 on free throws. The referees have a say in the fouls, but the Suns aren’t helping matters. Phoenix shot just 24-of-31.
Failing to control what they can control nullified the following positives against the Jazz:
- Booker bouncing back from “careless” game against Denver much better decision-making.
- Booker, Collin Gillespie, Allen and Royce O’Neale hitting clutch 3s. The Suns generated a season-high 55 3-point attempts, making 20.
- Mark Williams delivering a breakout double-double performance in extended minutes.
- The Suns scoring 51 bench points.
- Phoenix rallying from 20 points down to take a four-point lead, 85-81, with 3:18 left in the third quarter.
In short, Phoenix has little margin for error. Maybe that’ll change with Green on the floor.
Breakout game for Mark Williams
Williams generated a season-high 25 points and 11 rebounds in a season-high 31 minutes, seven more minutes than he played in the season opener against Sacramento. His putback with 1.9 seconds in the fourth forced overtime.
Williams came off the bench once again, but the 7-footer put together the best performance of any Phoenix big this season.
Allen scored 23 points, O’Neale went for 17 points in starting for Brooks, and Gillespie churned out a career-high 13 assists to go with 15 points.
Challenge factored into Suns forcing OT
The Suns trailed by seven when Booker nailed back-to-back 3s, with the second one cutting Utah’s advantage to three, 124-121, with 10.7 seconds left in regulation.
Then things got crazy.
O’Neale and Gillespie trapped Markkanen on the inbound pass, but O’Neale was called for the foul even though Markkanen caught Gillespie in the face as he swung the ball through.
Suns coach Jordan Ott challenged the call and won it as O’Neale had his hand on the ball to force a jump ball.
He stole the tip from the 7-foot-1 Jazz forward — “Good timing,” O’Neale said — and Allen tracked it down to call a timeout with 5.5 seconds remaining.
Coming out of the timeout, Booker looked for a 3, but Svi Mykhailiuk’s foul was called on the floor. With the sellout crowd roaring, Booker made the first free throw, but he missed the second.
O’Neale grabbed the offensive rebound, his shot bounced to the other side, but Williams snatched the offensive board and scored to tie the game at 124. Markkanen missed a turnaround at the buzzer.
How the Suns fell behind big early
The Suns continue to have turtle starts early this season as Utah raced out to a 19-2 lead, hitting five straight 3s in the first quarter.
The Suns started the game 1-of-9 from the field.
Phoenix has trailed by double figures in the first half of their four games.
“We’ve got to figure that part out,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said.
The Suns have either fizzled early, failed to close quarters strong, or managed to experience both in the same game.
Is it time for Williams to start?
The Suns have four bigs, but Williams established himself as the team’s best one against the Jazz.
He ran the floor well, finished lobs, drew contact to get to the line and hit the boards.
This is why the Suns traded two first-round draft picks to get him from Charlotte amid his injury history. When healthy, Williams is a double-double incoming.
The Suns and Williams should be credited for coming together on a conditioning plan that began July 1 in preparation for the regular season. Williams didn’t play in the preseason.
He’s been on a target number of game minutes. Williams reached a season-high of 26 minutes before the game even went into overtime.
“That’s not a question for me, but I think I made a pretty good case today,” Williams said when asked if he expects the Suns to keep him on target minutes.
Phoenix can continue to bring him along at the current pace and off the bench or start him with the realization he’s the best big on the team.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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