Two years ago, the Phoenix Suns tried to tank and accidentally won 48 games. Last season was rockier and there has been much roster turnover, but the future of the franchise is shining brighter than ever. Behind the efforts of general manager Ryan McDonough and head coach Jeff Hornacek, the Suns have built a winning foundation, assembling a roster mixed with talented youth and complementary veterans.
Guards Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight are the roster's centerpieces. They're both versatile and can seamlessly play next to each other. Bledsoe dazzles with his athleticism and two-way ability, while Knight is capable of creating offense out of thin air in end-of-game situations, a skill the Suns desperately needed.
Knight and Bledsoe can score and pass, but neither are sharpshooters. After splashing threes during their surprising 48-win season, the Suns saw their three-point percentage dip last year. Fixing that weakness was their top priority this summer.
It started with using the No. 13 pick in the 2015 draft on Kentucky's Devin Booker, who drained 41 percent of his triples as a freshman. That production carried over to the Las Vegas Summer League, where he scored 15.3 points per game on 40 percent from downtown.
He's a high IQ player that knows how to use screens and has perfect mechanics once he catches the ball. Booker will have trouble scoring off the dribble initially, but he won't have to with Knight and Blesdoe around. Despite his age, he can step in and play right away.
The need for better shooting and spacing was also reflected in the additions of veterans Tyson Chandler and Mirza Teletovic. Neither is LaMarcus Aldridge, the Suns' top free-agent target, but both will help the Suns immensely.
Chandler can't shoot outside of 15 feet, but he nevertheless improves a team's offense. The Mavericks shot 3.9 percent worse from three with Chandler off the court last season, while Dirk Nowitzki shot 4.6 percent worse. That didn't happen because Chandler suddenly morphed into Ray Allen. It happened because he led the league in points per possession as the roll man on pick-and-rolls among players with at least 100 attempts, per NBA.com. Defenders had to decide between helping off a deadeye shooter in Dirk or giving Chandler a free path to the basket. The duo made each other better.
Teletovic might not be Nowitzki, but he can fill a similar role as a shooting power forward. Teletovic was sidelined last season because of a blood clot in his lungs, but when he received consistent playing time in 2014, he shot 39 percent from three-point range. This comes after years of hitting around 40 percent from three during his overseas career. Teletovic is the stretch 4 the Suns didn't have last year after letting Channing Frye depart as a free agent.
Imagine Bledsoe running a high screen-and-roll with Chandler rolling down the lane and Knight, Teletovic and Booker spotting up. That's too much shooting for most defenses to handle.
There are other benefits to adding Chandler. He should improve a mediocre defense that ranked 17th last season. His presence allows the team to develop 2013 No. 5 pick Alex Len slowly instead of thrusting too much pressure on him. He will also be a strong leader for their young core, which they lacked last season.
That young core will have chances to grow up this year. The Suns traded Marcus Morris to open cap room for a failed pursuit of Aldridge, but his absence also frees minutes for up-and-coming second-year wing T.J. Warren. (Marcus' brother Markieff is still on the roster and is valuable on the court, but if he continues to grumble behind the scenes, he is also expendable considering the roster's depth.)
Warren averaged nearly 25 points per game in college, but slipped to the back of the lottery in 2014. He is a slasher and can fill it up from mid-range and transition, which is how he averaged 19 points per game in Summer League.
He's a throwback scorer, since he hasn't yet developed as a shooter from long range. He has funky mechanics, but he also isn't a lost cause since he has natural touch. If he can add a three-point shot to his already-strong mid-range game, he will solidify his spot as the team's small forward of the future.
Phoenix also let Gerald Green go to clear time for third-year guard Archie Goodwin. The 2013 first-round pick is an athletic slasher that has yet to develop as a shooter, but he is explosive and can get to the basket. He'll likely play behind fellow Kentucky guards Bledsoe, Booker and Knight, but there's still a path for him to earn more minutes.
Don't forget that the Suns also have the draft rights to Bogdan Bogdanović, a 6'6 22-year-old Serbian wing drafted in the first round in 2014. Bogdanović has deep shooting range with great size for his position. If he develops as a ball handler, he could be a scorer at all levels of the floor, though his decision-making has a ways to go. He was voted as the Euroleague Rising Star two seasons in the row, joining Nikola Mirotić as the only player to win the award twice.
Bogdanović won't arrive in the States next season, but that's OK, because the Suns have tons of young talent already. Bledsoe and Markieff Morris are 25. Knight is 23. Len is 22. Warren is 21. Goodwin is 20. Booker doesn't turn 19 until late October. The Suns have the right veterans to balance that core in Chandler (32), P.J. Tucker (30), Teletovic (29) and free-agent signing Sonny Weems (29), and they own nine first-round picks in the next six years, including an unprotected selection from Miami in 2021 as part of the Goran Dragic trade. That's a war chest of assets.
The Suns will keep swinging at top free agents like Aldridge, but they're well-positioned if they strike out. With the rising salary cap, all those first-round picks and an intriguing young core already in place, the Suns are positioned to be winners now and in the future.