5 reasons Phoenix Suns can win 2021 NBA championship

3. Proficiency in all the right areas

There are several signs that typically indicate a team is a legitimate championship contender, and the Phoenix Suns check off most of those boxes. For starters, there are the obvious indicators like owning the NBA’s second-best record at 48-21, which would put them on pace for a 57-win campaign in a normal, 82-game season.

The Suns are also fourth in point differential (plus-5.5), seventh in offensive rating (116.0), sixth in defensive rating (110.4) and fourth in Net Rating (5.6). That makes them one of only four teams to rank in the top-10 for both offensive and defensive rating, which is another key indicator of a team’s contender status. It’s no coincidence they join the Utah Jazz, LA Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks in that category.

The Suns move the ball and don’t typically make mistakes, as they generate the sixth-most assists (26.8 per game), commit the fourth-fewest turnovers (12.7 per game) and account for the NBA’s second-best assist-to-turnover ratio (2.12). They’re incredibly efficient, ranking fourth in true shooting percentage (59.6 percent) and eighth in 3-point percentage (37.6 percent), and they’re adept at limiting opponents’ shooting, ranking fifth in opponent 3-point percentage (35.6 percent).

In short, Phoenix doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, plays good basketball on both ends and will make any opponent work for everything. You have to earn it and actively outplay this Suns squad to beat them four times in a seven-game series.