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The Phoenix Suns reached the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2010 and made a huge run to the 2021 NBA Finals. In their first Finals since 1993, the Suns fell to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games after taking a 2-0 lead.
Unfortunately for Monty Williams' team, the dream season did not end with the Larry O'Brien trophy, but it certainly was a year to remember for Phoenix. The team had its first winning regular-season record since the 2013-14 campaign and reached the NBA Playoffs for the 30th time in franchise history (53 seasons).
The Phoenix Suns were still solid throughout the 2020-21 NBA season and throughout the NBA Playoffs. The team grabbed the second-best regular-season record in the entire league with 51-21 and took down reigning champions LA Lakers in the first round and then beat the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers.
5 things we learnt from the Phoenix Suns' 2020-21 NBA season
Though the journey ended with a painful loss for the Phoenix Suns, there were lots of positives to take from the 2020-21 NBA season.
In this article, we will give you five things we learnt from the 2020-21 Phoenix Suns.
Without further ado, let us start.
#5 James Jones' move for Chris Paul was more than big
Roughly a month before the 2020-21 NBA season started, the Phoenix Suns pulled off a trade that sent four players and a first-round pick to the OKC Thunder for Abder Nader and, mainly, Chris Paul.
The Phoenix Suns' general manager, James Jones, was able to make that move to bring the future Hall-of-Famer to Phoenix and that changed the culture and the mental construction of the team.
An experienced leader like Paul knew how to adapt to Phoenix's young core and he became a force for the team. The team had missed the postseason in 10 years and had six consecutive losing seasons before Paul's arrival.
With Paul, the Suns enjoyed a big regular season and made a big run in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. His work as GM helped Jones become the NBA's Executive of the Year award winner in the 2020-21 NBA season.
#4 Monty Williams reassured himself as a great NBA coach
In his seventh season as NBA coach, Monty Williams helped the Phoenix Suns reach the 2021 NBA Finals and was a major part behind the team's success. On the sidelines, Williams simply has a command that can keep a team's poise through the difficult moments of an NBA game that was valuable for the young stars on the Phoenix Suns' roster.
Last year, in his first season with the Phoenix Suns, Williams' team had a 34-39 record and might've started this year's success in the NBA bubble, when they went undefeated in eight games.
With Chris Paul on the team, the 2020-21 NBA season was great from the beginning and the Suns were elite on both ends of the floor. Williams' team ranked fifth in Offensive Rating and ninth in Defensive Rating, showing a great balance.
#3 Chris Paul is a game-changing leader
Returning to James Jones' trade to put Chris Paul on the Phoenix Suns' roster, there's no denying that the point guard's influence on the team was definitely noticeable, even if he was not the best player on the squad.
In his 16th NBA season, Paul had already been underestimated in the previous year, when he led the OKC Thunder to the NBA Playoffs with a great regular season.
His impact for the Phoenix Suns this year was not as underestimated, but the team went further than many thought with him. With Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton around him, Paul led the team throughout a great regular season and a great run in the postseason.
Paul averaged 16.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game in the regular season. He then averaged 19.2 points and 8.6 assists per game, with 49/44/87 shooting splits in 20 postseason games.
Whether he stays with the Phoenix Suns or not, Paul was great in his first year with the franchise.
#2 Devin Booker is elite
Devin Booker's first five campaigns in the NBA were filled with great displays of offensive talent, but he was unable to overcome the Phoenix Suns' struggles as a team.
Now, with Chris Paul aboard, Booker and the Phoenix Suns were expected to battle for a postseason spot in the 2020-21 NBA season, but they exceeded those expectations.
Booker averaged 25.6 points, four rebounds and four assists in the NBA regular season and then performed at an extraordinary level in his first postseason appearance.
Booker put up 27 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in the NBA Playoffs with a 45/32/90 shooting split. In the 2021 NBA Finals, Booker had two 40-point outings and averaged 28.2 points per game and made 45.5% of his shots, despite losing and having a couple of rough nights.
#1 The Phoenix Suns' future looks bright
Overall, the 2020-21 NBA season was a success for the Phoenix Suns, even though it is easy to pay more attention to what was missed and not what was achieved throughout such a long journey.
With Devin Booker and big man Deandre Ayton probably linked to the franchise for years to come, the Phoenix Suns might have a great one-two punch for years to come as Ayton continues to evolve as a big man (possibly a 20-point, 10-rebounds machine) and Booker's scoring remains effective.
Moreover, young players like Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges are a big part of the Phoenix Suns' system and they should evolve and become better players year by year.
Despite missing out on the 2021 NBA championship, the Phoenix Suns might have some more chances in the future, especially if Chris Paul stays. However, the road will only get tougher and they will be unable to sneak up on anybody now.
Also read: 3 bold predictions for the Phoenix Suns
Guess the Lakers players!
