SUMMARY
- The Suns Big 3 featuring Kevin Durant got swept by the Timberwolves in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
- This superteam might be the worst in NBA history especially after featuring some of the best offensive talent in the league with added experience as well.
In another world, Kevin Durant would have been fuming from within after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in four games. The Phoenix Suns set up an array of expectations for themselves after the Big 3 was formed. This was supposed to be one of the toughest offenses to defend in the league. While they did excel offensively during the regular season, the playoffs were a complete disappointment.
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker averaged 27.1 points during the regular season but history never failed to repeat itself. No team with two players averaging 27 points per game or more has ever found success in the playoffs. Durant ended up averaging a lackluster 24.7 points while Booker put up 20.3 points. The Timberwolves’ defense proved itself worthy of being called the best in the league.
However, Durant’s run in this series was specifically embarrassing since he was overthrown by 22-year-old Anthony Edwards who averaged 28 points per game. Phoenix has been receiving a ton of backlash on social media from experts, and they’re slowly starting to believe this will be the last of Frank Vogel we’ll see at the valley. Putting all the experience and numbers of this team into consideration, this Suns group is potentially the worst superteam ever to be formed.
Should Kevin Durant remain in Phoenix?
Before getting into the big question, it is important to look into Kevin Durant’s last couple of seasons ever since leaving the Golden State Warriors in 2019. Before getting acquired by the Suns, the 14x NBA All-Star played for the Brooklyn Nets. But the Nets Big 3 featuring the Slim Reaper, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden wasn’t any better than the Suns.
Kendrick Perkins says if the Phoenix Suns get swept, it will be the biggest disappointment in NBA history, way bigger than the Brooklyn Nets. 😳😳
Kevin Durant
Devin Booker
Bradley Beal. pic.twitter.com/cF3SZOdQsL— FastBreakPhenom (@FastBreakPhenom) April 28, 2024
We all remember Irving’s battles with the NBA, the vaccination mandate, and his incapability of staying away from controversy. That, paired with Harden’s injuries crippled the Nets. James, Irving, and Durant eventually forced themselves out of the team. However, the Nets still managed to make the playoffs twice with KD and they nearly beat the Milwaukee Bucks, who eventually won the 2021 NBA Championship.
However, this team just had too many off-court and interpersonal issues going on for them to entirely focus on basketball. But the same cannot be said for the Suns, who made it to the NBA Finals in 2021 and Western Conference Semifinals in 2022 and 2023 as well. Acquiring Bradley Beal was supposed to cement their name against a title, however, keeping a true point guard like Chris Paul now seems like a better option.
Bradley Beal looked to brush Frank Vogel’s hand away while heading to the bench 👀pic.twitter.com/EpFJomRKu9
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 29, 2024
So does Kevin Durant need to leave the Suns? Probably not, since he’s coming close to the end of his career and he’s barely played more than two seasons with them. Instead, the Suns could consider other options like replacing Vogel, who has a history of underutilizing his roster. Or they could make minor off-season trades to upgrade their depth lineup.
Were injuries a viable excuse for the Suns to fail under Kevin Durant’s leadership?
During the regular season, Bradley Beal faced multiple injuries including a terrible back and hamstring issue. He missed 29 games and only averaged 18.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal per game. Booker also missed a significant amount of games during the start and end of the regular season. Kevin Durant was the only consistent superstar making 75 appearances.
During Game 4’s post-game press conference, Booker carried the blame and directed it towards Beal, Durant, and Coach Vogel as well, as he rightfully should have. However, another factor that people claim impacted the Suns’ negatively was the lack of time the Big 3 spent on the floor together.
Devin Booker dropped 49 points and said “I have to be better”.
I love you my goat, please never leave Phoenix. You’ve been loyal to us and the real ones will always keep supporting you no matter what happens.pic.twitter.com/b0shXO1Www
— whyman (@CrossoverAce) April 29, 2024
When you accumulate the playoff experience Durant and Booker have including the leadership qualities Beal once carried on the Washington Wizards, the amount of time spent together shouldn’t matter. Players spend time watching tape and practicing together which should be enough to build chemistry and come up with a game plan.
The Suns cracked under pressure and failed to deliver against a team they defeated three consecutive times during the regular season. So there is no excuse they can provide besides poor execution of knowledge they already possess. This Suns superteam might have been one of the worst ones in NBA history, that’s unless they manage to bounce back next season.