Mat Ishbia isn’t leaving much room for interpretation about what he expects from the Suns.
Speaking with CNBC, the Phoenix owner drew a firm line around where the team should be headed, making it clear that last season’s results are no longer the bar.
“You should be thinking that we’re going to be better than we were last year,” he said. “As in, we’re going to make the playoffs. We’re going to win the first playoff series.”
That’s a direct target, not a vague hope. The Suns won 45 games last season, got through the NBA’s play-in tournament and then fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. For Ishbia, that’s the starting point now, not the finish line.
Phoenix’s roster has already changed heading into the next season. The Suns added Miles Bridges and Koa Peat while moving on from Royce O'Neale and Grayson Allen. Around the league, plenty of win-total projections have the Suns below last season’s mark, even though many in Phoenix believe the team improved.
Ishbia, though, has made it plain he sees a group capable of more. During the team’s Media Day, he pointed to the mix of talent and growth already in place.
"We have a playoff-level team, got a superstar, great players on top of that, and we got young guys that are getting better," Ishbia said during the team's Media Day.
"Not too many teams in the NBA have that up-and-coming opportunity along with a team that's in the playoffs and keep getting better. So we feel really good about where we're at, but at the same time, winning is fragile and culture is fragile.
We build on it year in, year out. We want to make sure that we continue to build upon it.
We feel really good about where we're at right now."
Ishbia has been one of the most visible owners in the league since taking over the Suns, and he’s already pushed major moves, including the trades that brought in Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal before those runs ended and the team moved on. He’s also tried to improve the day-to-day experience for fans, from making games free to watch over antenna television to rolling out a value menu during games.
But the real measure, as always, is the team on the floor. And from the owner’s seat, the message is simple: Phoenix is supposed to be better, make the playoffs, and win a series. Time will tell whether the Suns match that expectation.
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The timing matters because the Suns are heading into their opener after a 1-4 preseason, leaving plenty of room for questions about how quickly the pieces will fit together. Corbin also pointed to Devin Bookers maturity and offensive talent, a reminder that Phoenix still has top-end firepower, but the broader question is whether Bridges can become part of the answer when the games start to count and the Suns are judged on how far this group can really go. [Read more 🡒]