Does The NBA Preseason Matter? The Suns Better Hope Not

The Adelaide 36ers of Australia's NBL just beat the Phoenix Suns, continuing a downward trend in the desert.

The Phoenix Suns had the best record in the NBA last season, winning 64 games, a franchise record. They are expected to be one of the top teams in the West again this season, with Kevin Pelton’s prediction model landing them at the top of the conference.

The Suns, in other words, are a powerhouse in the NBA, and just opened their preseason with a loss to the 36ers. As in, the Adelaide 36ers of Australia’s NBL.

It’s just preseason for the NBA, but that’s not what’s supposed to happen. The win is being celebrated in Australia as “historic”, and as a sign that the quality of the NBL needs to be recognized.

Indeed, credit to the 36ers. They played intelligently, pinged the ball around, and shot the hell out of it. They outplayed their opponent on a night when they weren’t even expected to be able to keep it close.

For context, the 36ers total team salary is just over $1 million. The Suns’ current payroll is over $166 million. Billy Beane, surely, must be smiling somewhere.

Social media mercilessly clowned the Suns, because that’s what social media does. Their team Wikipedia page was edited to list 36ers guard Craig Randall, who dropped 35 points, as their owner. ¹

While this outcome is indeed historic for the 36ers, what about the Suns? Should they be concerned? Does preseason even matter to NBA clubs?