Is the 2022-23 season one of the Suns’ most disappointing regular seasons?
After a historic 62-win season, the Phoenix Suns started the 2022-23 season with ambitious goals and high hopes.
Since then, the Suns have had their share of triumphs and challenges. They managed to acquire superstar Kevin Durant in a trade with Brooklyn, but have also had to navigate off-court issues and a string of injuries, including to Durant.
The Suns finished the season with a 40-35 record, placing them in fourth in the NBA Western Conference. They are 11 games behind Denver, falling below the expectations set by Arizona gambling fans before the season.
Yengols.com conducted an analysis of how past No. 1 seeded Suns teams have fared in the subsequent season in order to evaluate the underperformance of the 2022-23 squad.
Seasons after the suns became the top seed.
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The Suns of 2022-23 Season Struggle to Sustain Momentum
Based on the team’s win percentage alone, it is hard to argue that this year’s team has been disappointing.
The 2022-23 Suns team has the lowest winning percentage of any franchise team that won the Western Conference in the previous year, falling below the 1981-82 team that went from 57-25 to 46-36.
The team was ultimately bested by the Kansas City Kings in a seven-game series during the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
While the team did not reach their preseason win total of 52.5, there is a silver lining in their disappointing regular season performance: the Suns’ championship odds have improved from +1000 to +600 on BetMGM Sportsbook Arizona.
While Phoenix may not have the highest record or seed, it does have the third best championship betting odds among Arizona NBA teams, coming in behind only Milwaukee and Boston.
How the Suns Can Deliver on Their Postseason Potential
According to the Arizona Republic, the Suns will be lucky to have Durant back in the lineup for Wednesday’s game against Minnesota.
The two-time MVP winner has been out of play since March 5 because of an ankle injury. He had only appeared in three games for his new team before getting hurt.
Phoenix emerged victorious in all three games, with Durant averaging 26.7 points per game in their triumphs over Charlotte, Chicago, and Dallas.
The Suns are counting on Durant to perform at his peak in order to clinch a top-four seed in the West. Phoenix is currently within striking distance of the NBA play-in tournament, just one and a half games behind.
Tankathon predicts that the Suns will face a slightly less challenging schedule in the final stretch, ranking 12th in the NBA with a strength of schedule of .520.
The Suns have seven games remaining in the regular season, with challenging matchups against Western Conference leaders Denver and playoff contenders Minnesota, Oklahoma City, and both L.A. teams. It’s crucial for them to rise to the occasion and start performing at their best.
The upcoming schedule begins with a home game against the Timberwolves on Wednesday night, followed by a game against the Nuggets on Friday.
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Author
Peterson Christopher, with over seven years of experience covering sports and sports betting in Arizona, currently holds the position of lead writer at yengols.com. He has also worked at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly, and the Green Valley News in the past.
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