The Phoenix Suns have never won an NBA Finals Championship despite being there three times. The last NBA Finals appearance they made was in 2021. The team was known for having superstars Chris Paul and Devin Booker as a duo, but now things are different. Kevin Durant joined the Suns on February 9, 2023, right before the NBA trade deadline. Aging Chris Paul has been traded for Bradley Beal in June 2023, considering a big three for the Phoenix Suns. When people hear the team’s name Suns, the three names that come to mind are Durant, Booker, and Beal.
Devin Booker has more experience with the Phoenix Suns than his superstar teammates and he is showing the ropes on the culture. The shooting guard believes that there are no ceilings when it comes to the Suns’ potential. He realizes that his team has the talent and the right people surrounding the team to get the necessary wins. Booker understands that in some games the team will have a bad first half of the game and will need to stay focused and not get discouraged to still come out with a up win in the end which at times they have done.
The Phoenix Suns have a record of 34-24. In some games, they look outstanding offensively and can essentially give any team a blowout loss. On some nights, the superstar trio does not get the needed help to win the games against the better teams in the league. The defense has been doing better than expected and is making significant use of center Jusuf Nurkic. The Suns’ x-factor for the rest of the season is Bradley Beal, who has played just thirty games for the season. Despite his injury issues making him miss games, it is obvious he is a good fit for an NBA Finals run based on his performance in the games he has played with Booker and Durant.
On February 25, the Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Lakers 113-123. The role players for the Suns played effective offense to help back their superstar’s offensive power on the team, and they played great defense to hold their slight lead in the fourth quarter. It was the classic battle between Kevin Durant and LeBron James, and they both put on a great show for the fans. At thirty-nine years old, LeBron James scored 28 points while playing for 37 minutes and almost caught the Lakers up to win the game. Kevin Durant scored 22 points and hit the key shots needed to hold his team’s lead.
The Suns played great defense, and Nurkic had to hold off Anthony Davis all night. Booker and Durant hit game-closing-type shots. Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale both hit six three-pointers each. The ball movement was great because the team went past the thirty assists mark, and Frank Vogel says that is the blueprint he wants from his team in his interview after beating the Lakers.
Devin Booker is at the start of his prime in his career averaging 27.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and a 49.6 field goal percentage. He has emerged as not only an elite scorer but a playmaker and facilitator, which is important since the Suns do not have a true point guard. Devin recorded a 62-point game against the Indiana Pacers on January 26. Although the Suns lost 131-133, it proves that Booker has no issue going into away game environments and dominating. This is the second game Booker has had with 60+ points in the regular season.
Seventeen years into his career at thirty-five years old, Kevin Durant is still ranked in the top ten for the 2023-2024 NBA season leaders. Durant is averaging 28.0 points for the season, 6.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and a 53.0 field goal percentage. Durant’s scoring average puts him in the top five overall for scoring leaders. Kevin Durant is known for being sensitive to certain social media criticism towards him but on the court, he no longer thinks about winning because he believes the winning is already within him. However, Durant told Malika Andrews during an interview on February 22, 2024, that he feels more tired at his age when the basketball games are over. He has a .583 win percentage for the season, the lowest since 2008-2009.
Bradley Beal’s first season with the Suns has been beneficial to the program as his 2023-2024 Season Stats are 18.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and a 49.5 field goal percentage. He did not play at the beginning of the season due to a back injury, but he returned to help the Suns beat the Chicago Bulls on November 8, 2023. Currently, Bradley Beal has not played since injuring his hamstring in the first half of a January 13 home win against the Sacramento Kings. Bradley is making progress with his left hamstring injury.
The Suns’ big three Booker, Durant, and Bradley, have good chemistry that has the potential to get even better. When all three players play at their highest level, they appear to have an offense that can beat any elite team in the NBA. Each superstar is the to-go-to player and they had to figure out who will get the most ball and balance out the offensive firepower. However, things look smooth when all three players play on the court and are not egotistical and want success for the team more than anything.
Frank Vogel believes the Suns’ depth compliments Booker, Durant, and Beal. It is good to have Vogel as the Suns’ head coach due to him winning the NBA Finals Championship in 2020 as the Lakers head coach. Vogal has built up a championship team with the Lakers and now is in another title run with the Suns and believes that all the pieces he needs are there to get the job done. He wants his defense to improve some more to efficiently go at the opposing team’s weakest spots as much as they can.
As of right now, the Phoenix Suns’ big three’s gameplay will decide how far the team can go. If those three players play at their peak performance, it will be hard for their opponents to stop such a fierce power. However, these superstars could still have their off games too, or be broken up for some games for injury reasons. To advance in the series, the Suns will need at least one standout performance from one of their supporting players. When the Suns beat the Lakers, they did not have Beal, but the supporting cast put forth a well-rounded game. Such a performance looks encouraging for the rest of the Suns’ season.
The Phoenix Suns have a talented roster, experienced coaching staff, and a winning mentality, especially with two-time NBA Finals Champion and MVP Kevin Durant as the team leader. For a franchise that has never won an NBA Finals, the Suns are poised to leave their mark on the NBA landscape. The roster is nothing short of talent and has effective team chemistry that can only grow. This Suns team has what it takes to compete with the best teams in the league and make a serious championship title contender. If the Suns stay consistent, they have a chance to avoid the 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament as they sit 6th in the Western Conference. However, anything can happen in the stacked Western Conference.
Credit Photo – Phoenix Suns
