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Just In: NBA Scout Exposes Suns’ Physicality Deficiency as Kevin Durant Refuses to Play the 4
One scout believes that in order for the Phoenix Suns to contend for an NBA championship, they must make significant changes to their roster.
“They are poorly constructed,” the scout said to Fox Sports’ Ric Bucher. “Where is their seat? Where’s their shot-blocking, rim-protecting big man when he’s starting or comes off the bench? As a starter or when coming off the bench, where is a point guard who makes decisions? Where’s their defensive wing, a 6’7″ guy? As KD is unwilling to play the four, where is a physical and large power forward? What location is their size? They’re not big enough. A successful team with hopes of winning a championship needs all of that.”
Although the Suns invested a lot of money to combine Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal together, they were swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. Together, the three will earn $151.1 million in revenue next season, which is around $10 million more than the anticipated salary cap. They are already above the first tax apron with five players when you factor in the $33.7 million that Jusuf Nurkic and Grayson Allen will receive.
Since acquiring Beal, Phoenix was always going to be a second-tier club, but this will make it much harder for the front management to sign role players. These Suns did not appear to be in the running for a championship, but the occasional late-career star might want to try chasing a ring in Phoenix.
For the majority of the season, the Suns were more of a threat to make the Play-In Tournament than a serious contender. The team’s incapacity to play as a unit was exacerbated by Beal’s injury problems, but they still lack rim protection, depth on the bench, and a genuine primary ball handler.
With the minimum contracts the Suns will have available, those are not problems that will be readily resolved.
