NBA Betting: What to Make of a Rocky Start From the Phoenix Suns

The Suns entered the season as a popular pick to win the NBA Championship. They added Bradley Beal in the offseason and have a new owner not afraid to make big moves to build a winner. Unfortunately for Suns’ fans, things have now gone according to play in the first month of the season.

Below we will break down everything you need to know about the Suns so you can bet confidently on them at NBA betting sites this year.

While the Suns have failed to raise their record above the .500 mark, US sportsbooks still see them being a major contender in the NBA. Their odds to win the NBA title still rank among the top five, and they are the second-favorite to win the West.  

Below are the odds for the three biggest future bets involving the Phoenix Suns.

 What we like most about this team is the one thing we haven’t really seen: Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker playing together. Beal has played in just one game thanks to a back injury, while Booker has already missed time with a calf injury. While Kevin Durant has had no problem carrying the load, this team will get a major boost when he has both other stars on the floor.

While the Suns have been losing without their three stars on the floor, this is a much deeper team than we saw last season. The additions of Eric Gordon (14.3 PPG), Grayson Allen (12.3 PPG, 4.7 TPG), and Jusuf Nurkic (10.5 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.2 STL). They have stepped up with Beal and Booker missing time and should thrive when all three stars are back together. 

The last thing we love about this Suns’ team is Kevin Durant. The future Hall of Famer has dominated this season, averaging 31.4 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 5.5 APG, and 1.2 BLK. He has looked like the version of KD that almost led a battered Nets team past the Milwaukee Bucks during their championship run. If he is healthy, KD is capable of carrying this team to a lot of wins.

We never liked the signing of Bradley Beal. The guard is an incredible scorer, but injuries have limited him to play in 60 or fewer games in three straight seasons. Back injuries are very hard to overcome for NBA players and they tend to linger, even with time off to heal. While the move to bench him for three weeks to heal was wise, we have serious concerns that it will not be enough. 

Giving up so much to acquire Beal was a big gamble alone, but it is made worse when you consider Booker has also been dealing with injuries. He played in just 53 games last season and has already missed time in 2023. While Durant has been healthy, he too has suffered major injuries over the last few seasons.

On top of the injuries, we also have major concerns about Suns’ poor play on defense. They are allowing the twentieth most points per game (115.5), putting a lot of pressure on their short-handed offense. We have seen that lead to a lot of losses early this season, a trend that could continue and lead to Phoenix being a borderline playoff team.