Rising youth and improved health could propel Phoenix past the Rockets and Blazers as a new hierarchy takes shape in a revitalized, top-heavy Western Conference.
The 2026-27 Phoenix Suns season is right around the horizon.
Now is an appropriate time to reassess where the Suns stand relative to the rest of the Western Conference, with the current power rankings being split into tiers below.
Teams Seeking Lottery Luck
15. Sacramento Kings
14. Los Angeles Clippers
13. New Orleans Pelicans
12. Memphis Grizzlies
The bottom teams in the conference seem to be the clear weakest out of the assortment of 15.
Sacramento and Los Angeles are having trouble bridging the veteran presence on the team with the recently selected lottery picks. This is particularly beneficial for the Suns, as they face the two teams a combined seven times in 2026-27.
Play-In Hopefuls
11. Dallas Mavericks
10. Utah Jazz
9. Golden State Warriors
The Jazz and Warriors are teams to keep an eye on for very different reasons amongst the Phoenix fanbase. Utah is a youth-laden team with a firecracker offense on paper, while the Warriors are a Jimmy Butler return from injury and a breakout season from Brandin Podziemski away from once again becoming an interesting squad out west.
Inside Track on Playoffs
8. Portland Trail Blazers
7. Houston Rockets
6. Phoenix Suns
The Trail Blazers are an interesting squad to follow, as the squad that took down Phoenix to earn the #7 seed in the West looks a bit different this season.
The Rockets slipping down into play-in territory may come as a surprise to some, but the trajectory of the team isn't incredibly promising. There is reason to believe that Phoenix has a slight advantage over Houston at the moment, save for Amen Thompson or Alperen Sengun taking another leap forward.
The consensus seems to be that Phoenix will take a step back, but better injury luck and progression from members of the youth movement such as center Khaman Maluach paint a different picture.
Battling for Homecourt Advantage
5. Los Angeles Lakers
4. Denver Nuggets
Phoenix has an opportunity to climb into this tier, but it doesn't seem to be a safe assumption at this stage, particularly due to Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic serving as elite floor raisers.
Sub-Level Contender
3. Minnesota Timberwolves
Top Tier
2. Oklahoma City Thunder
1. San Antonio Spurs
The Thunder and Spurs are the undeniable top teams in the West. It will be challenging for any other opponent to crack the code that either franchise is setting.
