5 things we learnt from the Phoenix Suns' 2020-21 NBA season: So close, yet so so far from glory; but what's next?
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.