SBNation Reacts: Chris Paul most impactful newcomer, plus some new Suns questions

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged in Phoenix Suns fans, and fans of all teams across the country. Sign up here to join Reacts.

According to the most recent SB Nation Reacts survey a full 100 percent of responding Suns fans are confident the team is headed in the right direction. That number has held steady almost all season.

And now we have added two NEW questions to the weekly poll!

Looks like the majority of Suns fans believe the team will finish the season with the best record in the West, which would also be the best in the whole NBA. At the time of the poll, the Suns were tied with Utah for best record with 8-9 games to go.

And when the playoffs start, the team you want to play in the first round is the Grizzlies. Personally, if you’re asking Dave King, I’d MOST like to play the team that got the least votes in this poll: the Blazers, because they simply can’t stop anybody. And the team I’d LEAST want to play is the one you all want the most: the Grizzlies.

What’s great, though, is no matter which team it is, the Suns will be heavily favored and should close out the series easily. Doesn’t mean each win will be a blowout, or that they won’t lose any games. Just means the Suns should be favored to win 4 out of 5 or 6.

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Now let’s get to the NATIONAL questions, answered across all SB Nation poll takers.

Phoenix, like every other team in the league, is working through a tight schedule, fitting 72 games into five months (versus the usual 82 in 6 months). Not a lot faster, but it does mean a few more back-to-backs than in a usual season.

To that end, more than two-thirds of fans around the NBA think the league condensed the schedule too much.

One major reason it’s believed the league was so adamant on finishing this early is because of the expected 2021 Olympics this summer. However, only 44 percent of fans believe that’s a worthy reason for playing games at this pace.

While the schedule is difficult for everyone, some teams are having more success than others. That’s in large part due to the success of star players around the league. This year’s MVP race has seen a changing group of players from start to finish.

As the season nears its end, though, one player has emerged as the front runner for the award. 61 percent of fans nationally think Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokić is the league’s MVP.

In a not-so-shocking twist to me, your favorite Bright Side editor, Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul was the next closest with 17 percent of the nationwide vote.

While Jokić appears to be the clear MVP, that doesn’t mean he’s considered the best player in the game right now. That title, according to fans, still goes to Lakers superstar LeBron James.

Paul’s re-emergence with the Suns has been a game-changer. The point guard was picked as the player who has made the biggest difference on their new team, far surpassing Brooklyn’s James Harden.

I’d say helping your fringe playoff team to the second best record in the NBA while not missing any time to injury is pretty darn impactful.

To vote in the Reacts surveys and have your voice heard each week, sign up here.