The Suns franchise has done it before.
From the 1976 "Sunderella Suns" to the 2010 squad that advanced all the way to the Conference Finals, Phoenix has a long history of outperforming expectations.
And once again this season, there is reason to believe the Suns could take the league by surprise.
The squad boasts several impact players returning from injury (Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and T.J. Warren), a group of talented youth on the rise (Devin Booker, Alex Len and three rookies for starters) and a handful of veterans to tie everything together (Jared Dudley, Tyson Chandler and Leandro Barbosa).
The pieces are there for significant improvement from last season's 23-59 mark. Now it's whether or not the team can compete against the league's best. NBA insider James Herbert, for one, believes the Suns can turn the corner in 2016-17.
In a recent post for CBS Sports, Herbert pegged Phoenix as one of seven teams that could surprise with a breakout season this year. Other teams on the list included the Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans.
Here's what Herbert had to say about the Suns:
"Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight hardly got to play together last year. With Devin Booker's emergence, Phoenix has an extremely dangerous guard rotation, especially on offense. If the Suns start Jared Dudley and P.J. Tucker at the forward spots, they'll space the floor nicely for the playmakers and bring versatility on defense.
"Like New Orleans, Phoenix shouldn't have been as bad as it was last year. Injuries and chemistry issues derailed everything. With Dudley and Leandro Barbosa both coming back in free agency, the hope is that the locker room will be more harmonious this time around. Making the playoffs is far from guaranteed, but that should be the goal."