​The 2026-27 Phoenix Suns have three goals heading into the campaign: return to the playoffs after ending a one-year absence in April, continue to invest in the development of the young players on the roster, and curate an environment that will result in Devin Booker once again returning to an All-NBA standard of play.While the expectation internally is for Phoenix to reach the playoffs, that isn’t necessarily the sentiment from the outside world.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBrad Botkin of CBS Sports currently has the Suns ranked as the 22nd best team in the NBA as free agency rages on, which may come as a surprise to some but isn’t much different from the consensus.Ultimately, Botkin seems to feel that the question marks will outweigh the tangible positives that are brought to the table – for example, while the official acquisition of Miles Bridges will bring more athleticism/rim pressure to the table, it will be countered by the loss of high-volume shooters in Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale. Jalen Green continues to be seen as an enigma around the league as well – the two-guard has the potential to be the difference between Phoenix being markedly better or worse in 2026-27.The general sentiment seems to be that other teams have done enough to clearly surpass the Suns – even if Phoenix doesn’t show tangible regression. Teams such as the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz are expected to drastically improve, which reduces Phoenix’s margin of error, especially when trading out volume three-point shooting in the process.On the bright side, the Suns are well-positioned with an elite floor raiser at the top of the roster in Booker. The expectation is that Booker will return to more of a natural two-guard role, while also playing a crucial role in generating quality looks for teammates such as Collin Gillespie, Dillon Brooks, and even second-year center Khaman Maluach.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSpeaking of Maluach – progression from the young core is a topic of conversation that not many are having. Maluach, Rasheer Fleming, and even Ryan Dunn showing tangible growth would bring a great deal of value to the table.The final reason why Phoenix deserves more respect heading into the new season is baked into a quality coaching staff that is led by Jordan Ott. The second-year head coach will only get better as he becomes more experienced and will potentially be gifted more flexibility in the new season with personnel that are more athletic compared to a season ago.Join The SunsRoundtableHead over to the SunsRoundtable page and hit the “Join” button at the top of the page… it’s completely FREE! You’ll have the opportunity to engage with other Suns fans who live and breathe the team, share your thoughts on the organization, and more. If you’re asked to sign up or download the Roundtable app… that’s free too.Kevin Hicks is a contributing writer to SunsRoundtable. He can be reached on X @khicks_21.