The Phoenix Suns have yet to really figure things out with their Big 3 headline by Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Despite the talent they have, they are barely in contention for a playoff seeding and could find themselves in the Play-In Tournament if they continue to play inconsistently.
Injuries have really affected them, and their lack of depth has only made things worse. However, as JJ Redick argued, the Suns shouldn’t be overlooked even amid their poor and inconsistent play. For him, Phoenix remains a dangerous playoff team that could wreak havoc if healthy.
Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns Rising?
The Suns reminded the whole NBA what they are capable of after they took down the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. Even with Devin Booker out due to injury, they were able to fend off the defending champions.
Sure it wasn’t pretty, not after the Suns blew a 22-point lead and allowed the Nuggets to force overtime. Nonetheless, they held on, with Durant showing everyone that he’s still the same lethal scorer that we know.
Durant finished with 35 points, including eight in overtime–outscoring the Nuggets all by himself. KD also had eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks for an all-around performance.
Grayson Allen stepped up big time in place of Booker, recording 28 points on 8-of-12 shooting from 3-point territory. Bradley Beal dropped 16 points, along with six rebounds, six assists and two steals to help Phoenix take the 117-107 victory.
The Suns are now sixth in the West standings and are 5-5 in their last 10 games, including the Tuesday meeting with the Nuggets. And while that’s quite disappointing, beating the reigning champions should be a confidence-booster for Denver.
JJ Redick Sends Phoenix Suns Warning to NBA
JJ Redick was certainly impressed with what the Phoenix Suns showed in their battle with the Denver Nuggets, so much so that he’s convinced Kevin Durant and Co. will be dangerous come playoff time.
The former NBA veteran shared his take on why the Suns have been struggling in the regular season, citing their health issues and lack of depth. But for him, the Arizona franchise has enough to beat any team regardless of their record.
“One of the issues when you decide to build a super team is that you are giving up some roster flexibility and depth. And so this team was always going to struggle in the win-loss column. If one of these guys got hurt, Kevin Durant has missed seven games. Booker now has missed 12 games. Bradley Beal has missed 29 games. They just haven’t had the depth,” Redick shared on First Take.
“Look [at] their top seven. I put their top seven against almost any team in basketball. When we talk about [Jusuf] Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Eric Gordon, Royce O’Neal, and the Big 3. They all complement each other.”
Redick then brought up the numbers to support his argument, highlighting that the Suns are really good when they are healthy.
“You can look at lineup data, right? And of any five-man lineup that has played over 250 minutes together. They have one of five of those lineups that have outscored opponents by more than 10 points per 100 possessions. They are a good team when they’re healthy. They’re an absolutely good team,” Redick furthered.
“The other thing that I like about their team right now, assuming health in the playoffs, they can play a number of ways. So they can play big with Nurkic, use him as a hub offensively. I think he’s had an outstanding season. They can go small with Kevin Durant at the five and just outshoot you. Grayson Allen has been a perfect complimentary player. He’s having a career year leading the NBA in three-point percentage had another big night last night.”
Of course health is a big “What if” in the NBA. But to Redick’s point, the Suns are definitely better than what their record suggests. Come playoff time, they might be a team that any of the top seeds wouldn’t want to face.
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