PHOENIX — For all the skepticism surrounding the Phoenix Suns going into the 2024-25 season, the belief that the franchise can experience a bounce back season has been growing among former players and media to some degree.

Among those with a bullish view on Phoenix is basketball hall of fame member Kevin Garnett – who expressed his views on the “All the Smoke Podcast” with former Boston Celtics teammate Paul Pierce.

Pierce: “What seed were they? 6?”

Garnett: “Yup.. and that was a so called terrible year for them… Devin Booker can be an MVP, you know what i’m sayin. Beal he can be an MVP. These guys, they got it bro.”

This is the most obtuse showing of support from a former player post-Olympics – and there could be credence behind it.

The Suns had a well-documented disastrous season in 2023-24. There were reports of disconnect within the coaching staff and were obvious signs of a suboptimal roster construction that lead to what should have been one of the most potent offenses to ever take the court to become one of the worst fourth quarter offenses in NBA history.

The untimely injuries also played a role – with Beal, Booker, and Kevin Durant all missing various amounts of time that typically did not overlap.

The result was a team that waited until January to begin the path towards continuity – and by that point it became too late to salvage a title-level outcome.

Despite this, the squad went on a late-season tear to finish with 49 wins and avoided the play-in tournament.

The first-round sweep won’t be soon forgotten or excused, but it is reasonable to believe that last season was the absolute worst outcome that could have happened in the Booker/Durant era.

Now the Suns have moved forward with one of the most accomplished active head coaches in Mike Budenholzer, along with two “traditional” point guards that could shield deficiencies elsewhere, and an injection of youth that could have a sizable impact on the franchise moving forward.

It seems as if the Olympics has reignited some faith in the Suns moving forward – let’s see if the 2024-25 version can prove the believers correct.

“I’m telling you, bro. Phoenix is going to be better than what most (people think),” said Garnett.