Statistics show that the Phoenix Suns have the toughest start to the NBA season

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns’ 82-game schedule was officially released yesterday – and the reactions were polarizing: Some complained about a very difficult final three weeks of the season, while others were happy about what seemed like an extremely weak February schedule.

There hasn't been much talk about how challenging the first month of the season could be – it seems like it got lost in the shuffle of analyzing the bigger picture of the season.

The Suns face the toughest game of all NBA playoff teams in October/November (measured by last season's win percentage), as their opponents' combined win percentage is almost 56%.

The first month includes three matches with the Los Angeles Lakers, two with the then defending Western Conference champions, the Dallas Mavericks, two encounters with the Los Angeles Clippers and individual duels against the Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks and Orlando Magic.

This list should not be taken lightly, as there are only three teams the Suns will play during this period that did not at least participate in the 2023-24 play-in tournament: the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz and Brooklyn Nets.

With the Suns only being clear favorites for three games, they could be facing a rocky start like last season. The best hope is that new coach Mike Budenholzer will make big changes on the sidelines from game to game and that the Suns can now overcome difficult phases with consistency.

The Suns' debut in the 2024–25 regular season is scheduled for October 23 in LA against the Clippers.