The Suns finished the regular season tied with their third-worst record to that point, going just 32–50.
Coupled with every team in the Western Conference's Midwest division finishing with a better record than all but two teams from the Pacific division, and the Suns were out of the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons, ending a then-franchise record streak for consecutive playoff berths.
Walter Davis bounced back from injury that caused him to miss the majority of the previous season, leading the Suns in scoring at 22 points per game, his highest output since his 1978–79 season with the Suns.
Nance would finish the season ranked third in the NBA in field goal percentage and lead the Suns in rebounds.
This was the first year in franchise history that the Suns were not represented in the All-Star Game.