Where do the Phoenix Suns rank first in the NBA?

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns lead 3-1 at halftime and we’ve seen some mixed performances so far.

The early stages of Mike Budenholzer’s tenure in Phoenix have seen some new innovations (true offensive philosophy) while some old issues (traffic) still plague the Suns.

With the first week of action already in the cards, here’s where the Suns rank in the online power rankings:

ESPN: No. 7

Dave McMenamin: After trying out Devin Booker and Bradley Beal at point guards last season, Phoenix signed Tays Jones to a lucrative one-year, $3.3 million deal this offseason to play the position. The Duke product is performing well, averaging 10.0 points on 48.5% shooting (37.5% from 3) and ranking in the top 20 in the league in both assists (6.0) and steals ( 1.8)”.

Yahoo!: No. 6

Ben Rohrbach: ““Man, this bastard is really effective.” Kevin Durant told Mark Medina that this is how we should classify his career compared to other all-time greats. Imagine that you are so good that you can say this about yourself – and you will be right. Did you see how he shut down the Lakers?

NBA.com: No. 7

John Shuman: “A 2-1 start isn’t bad considering the Suns’ strong schedule, and they were at a disadvantage when they beat the Mavs on Saturday.”

Athletic: No. 7

Low Murray: “The Suns made a big splash last season by hiring a defensive guru head coach in Frank Vogel and relying on traditional point guards so Devin Booker could be the lead ball-handler alongside Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant. It worked fine until the Suns didn’t do it. There was no need to do anything in the fourth quarters when they were by far the worst team in the league. New head coach Mike Budenholzer had scoring rate traders Tyus Jones and Monte Morris at the position. These two small guards combined for 32 assists. and four turnovers, and the Suns are actually outscoring their opponents in the fourth quarter to start the season.”

This week, the Suns will play against the Los Angeles Clippers and also host the Portland Trail Blazers.