2023-05-13 00:12:31
Phoenix Sunsfor several one of the main candidates for the NBA title in the Playoffs 2023ended up a long way from reaching that goal he had since the start of the season and rebooted by acquiring Kevin Durant in February. Denver Nuggets eliminated him in the Western Semifinals with a series that was 4-2 but whose development seemed much less competitive than that final score.
Otros eliminados: Nets | Timberwolves | Clippers | Cavaliers | Bucks | Hawks | Grizzlies | Kings
Now for the Suns it is a moment of analysis and reflection, facing what is to come. It is time to know the keys that will mark your offseasonas well as the panorama after the elimination in Playoffs.
What must they change to succeed?
Two years ago the Suns surprised by reaching the NBA Finals: In the first season with Chris Paul on the team, those from Arizona who had woken up in the bubble the previous year with a winning streak that was not enough to reach the Playoffs, suddenly had been two victories away from becoming champions.
From there, Phoenix has wanted to repeat that and yet met with failure twice: Nothing was as easy as they made it seem, not even though Devin Booker continues to mature and play better.
In February, with Kevin Durant Looking to get rid of the Brooklyn Nets, new owner Mat Ishbia’s Suns thought they had found gold raining from the sky: It’s not every day that a team gets the chance to bring in one of the greatest scorers of all time. With assets available to go after him, they did not hesitate and delivered what Brooklyn asked of them to get KD and for him to form a stellar trio with Booker and Paul.
That trio never finished getting filming in the Regular Season due to various injuries and, although they looked good in the 4-1 against the LA Clippers, they were practically not in the series against Denver: Chris Paul was injured in Game 2 of the series and did not return.
Nothing strange for a 38-year-old point guard who has had constant injuries in the playoff season, after the wear and tear of a full season. If the drop in performance that Durant had (45.3% from the field, 22.2% in triples) against Denver was less expected. At 34, KD is still a superstar, but you also have to remember that his body has suffered a lot in his 16 years in the NBA (although that had nothing to do with what he did in this series).
The Suns can wind up the Booker-Durant-Paul trio and hope they don’t suffer any problems next season, but they know the odds are a risk. Or they can be tempted by what was Booker’s exceptional performance and seek to put him as the sole lynchpin of the franchise’s future no matter what else, not even Durant.
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