Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns are 8-0 in games where KD has been healthy and available for the team, a dangerous thought ahead of the playoffs.
Prior to their win over the Denver Nuggets, Durant said that no coach should have the excuse of not being prepared tactically for such a new Suns lineup in a small sample size.
“If you a playoff coach and you don’t know how we coming as a team I don’t think you should have that job. There’s so much data on who we are individually and as a team, there’s no hiding anything at this point. We can draw up a couple of new plays that throw them off but even after Game 1, you can still get it figured out. It really comes down to who wants it the most and who’s the better team. It’s not too much scheming and strategy involved.”
“If you a playoff coach and you're not prepared for how we coming as a team I don't think you should have that job."
Kevin Durant sends out a warning for unprepared potential playoff matchups for the Suns 🗣️
(via @DuaneRankin)pic.twitter.com/J8y5KyIezD
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 7, 2023
The Suns play the Lakers tonight on a back-to-back, coming off a win over the Nuggets. Devin Booker and Chris Paul played 37 minutes each in that win while KD played 40 minutes.
Given the Suns have already secured the 4th seed in the conference, the trio may be benched but they still need to build more on-court chemistry and can’t waste the game. It’ll be interesting to see who plays and who doesn’t in this must-win for the Lakers.
Do The Suns Have Title Expectations?
Evaluating Phoenix in the playoffs is very challenging because we still aren’t sure how good they are. Even though they are 8-0 with KD in the lineup, they’ve had favorable matchups and faced injury-hit teams in this stretch. The fact that they are good enough to not drop those games proved they are to be reckoned with, but can they perform at a high level over a 7-game series? Many still consider them championship favorites.
The lack of quality rotational depth will definitely impact them, as we saw against the Nuggets last night. They have to keep their stars on the court for extended periods of time to keep the offense functioning, with surrounding pieces like Terrence Ross, Torrey Craig, and more needing a system to thrive within.
They could make a run in the playoffs on the strength of their individual pieces alone but will be more lethal next season with an offseason to add players and figure out a consistent system to play within.
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