But at least one major issue has little to do with coaching: Phoenix’s bevy of high draft picks from recent years has fallen short. And its struggles are the latest reminder that tearing down a team and rebuilding through the draft — an idea championed by many for teams not directly in the hunt for a championship — is far easier said than done.

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Yes, the Oklahoma City Thunder hit gold three straight times when they selected Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden in consecutive drafts from 2007-09. But that example always comes to mind for a reason: It’s just about the only one.

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What happens far more often is what happened in Phoenix: a roster full of half-hits and misses, with perhaps one or two picks who turned into stars.

The Suns have at least one guy who looks like a future star in Devin Booker. But Alex Len, the No. 5 pick in the 2013 NBA draft, signed his qualifying offer this summer after garnering little interest as a restricted free agent and is splitting time with Tyson Chandler at center. Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss — both top 10 picks in the 2016 draft — are coming off the bench.

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The other issue with the strategy: It makes it difficult for a rebuilding team to land an impact player in free agency. As more players focused on finding the best opportunity to be successful on the court, the attraction of playing for a rebuilding team decreased. The Suns tried to get Paul Millsap this summer in free agency, only to see him go to the Denver Nuggets. They tried to get in the mix for a Kyrie Irving trade, but were told Irving had no interest in playing there; Irving later was traded by Cleveland to Boston.

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One could counter that Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough is at fault for failing to maximize those selections, and then failing to get in the mix for players such as Millsap. That argument has some merits. But looking at several other teams who have picked in the top 10 year after year shows the Suns aren’t the only on facing the predicament.

Take the Philadelphia 76ers, held up as an example of how trying to game the system and get a bunch of high picks in a row can work out for a team. Sure, the Sixers have plenty of talent between Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz. But Embiid has played only 31 games in three seasons entering this one; Simmons missed all of last year with an injury; and Fultz already has had several nagging injuries between his lone year in college and this summer. And Jahlil Okafor looks like a lost pick as the third overall selection in 2015.

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In other words, it’s a mixed bag, and no sure thing Philadelphia is on the path to being a contender (though let’s hope the Sixers are — the league needs Embiid to be healthy and productive to allow the rest of us to enjoy everything else he brings to the table).

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Now consider the rest of the teams who have had similar dry spells. The Orlando Magic dedicated themselves to building through the draft after trading Dwight Howard, and the team is no closer to the playoffs today than when the franchise traded him away five summers ago. The best player Orlando has to show for it is Aaron Gordon, who so far hasn’t proven he has a clearly defined NBA position; Victor Oladipo, meanwhile, is now on his third team after being traded twice in a calendar year.

The Magic were set to draft Kristaps Porzingis two years ago, only to have him go one spot higher to the New York Knicks, leaving them to draft Mario Hezonja, who has been a complete bust, with the fifth pick.

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The Sacramento Kings haven’t made the playoffs in more than a decade and have churned their way through one top 10 pick after another. This is an obvious example of mismanagement, with multiple regimes doing their best to turn the Kings into a laugh factory until, potentially, this past summer. But even so, the expectation would have been that they would’ve accidentally walked into more keepers than DeMarcus Cousins, the only one they’ve come up with in that time frame (again, that’s until this summer, as De’Aaron Fox looks like one early on).

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The Los Angeles Lakers have had the second overall pick the past three drafts in a row. What do they have to show for it? D’Angelo Russell already has already been traded and Brandon Ingram has struggled for the vast majority of his year-plus in the NBA. But Lonzo Ball certainly looks like he will be worthy of that selection.

Even the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are poised to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2004, have questions about their group. Karl-Anthony Towns is obviously the real deal, but Andrew Wiggins just signed a max contract despite widespread division about how valuable he is around the NBA. And the Timberwolves are expected to make the playoffs only now because they used a couple of their recent lottery picks (Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn) plus the seventh pick in this year’s draft (Lauri Markkanen) to trade for a ready-made superstar in Jimmy Butler.

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So yes, the idea of landing two or three players to build around through the draft is appealing — and, if it works, it can set a team up for a decade or more. But that doesn’t mean it’s assured of being successful — and, if it isn’t, it can set a team up for several years of misery or more.

All it takes is one look at everything happening in Phoenix to see that.