The Phoenix Suns have been a team on the rise since making the NBA Finals in 2021. They traded some of their young players and brought in stars like Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal into the roster. However, after a disappointing regular season, it looks like their experiment of building a top-heavy team is failing.
Despite their poor performances, the Phoenix Suns were able to grab the sixth seed in the West with a 49-33 record. Now usually this would be enough for a team to be in the Top 4 of a Conference, but the West has been extremely competitive this season. Phoenix looked like a side that was well put together, but as the season progressed, it seemed like they lacked depth.
Their Big 3 was unable to play a lot of games together to start the season. Although this changed towards the end of the campaign, it does not look like Beal, Durant and Booker are a good fit together. They have a 26-15 record when the three stars play together, but the eye test suggests that the Big 3 experiment of the Suns might not be as dangerous as advertised.
What challenges will the Phoenix Suns’ Big 3 face in the playoffs?
Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker are all talented offensive players. They are all capable of scoring 30 points on any given night, but what they lack is an enforcer. The Suns have spent a lot of their cap space trying to accommodate the Big 3. This led to them giving out minimum contracts to a majority of the other players on the roster.
The lack of solidity on the bench has brought a lot of limitations to the Suns’ defense. Among the Big 3, Durant has showcased that he can play defense. Booker has improved on that end, but if a tough matchup comes up, the four-time All-Star would find it difficult to make a stop.
The Suns had the thirteenth-best defense in the league, but during some of their games, they seemed to give up on plays easily. If they continue doing the same in the playoffs, they will definitely be punished. The likes of Royce O’Neale, Grayson Allen and Eric Gordon can play defense, but if they want to make a deep run, everyone on the Suns will have to contribute on the defensive end.
Phoenix Suns have a tough matchup in the first round
The Phoenix Suns found their way towards the end of the regular season. They did have some poor results but still managed to go 12-6 in their last 18 games. A sixth-place finish means that they will have to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
The absence of Karl-Anthony Towns will be felt, but the Wolves still have their star young guard Anthony Edwards. The 22-year-old has taken the leap this season and led the way from the front. He has averaged 25.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 5.1 APG this season. Ant-Man had a great postseason during the 2022-23 campaign, but the Wolves were no match to the brilliance of the Denver Nuggets.
This year, Edwards has the chance to showcase his brilliance as his team faces the Suns. The presence of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker will make things tough for the Wolves, but they have the best defense in the league. All the players in the lineup are terrific defenders and that will make this matchup an exciting one to watch.
