Top 10 Contenders: Path for Kevin Durant & Suns to win NBA title | Hoops Tonight

Top 10 Contenders: Path for Kevin Durant & Suns to win NBA title | Hoops Tonight

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So you guys don’t miss any of our content over the course of this season all right let’s talk some basketball number six the Phoenix Suns for me sure yeah the I you know what’s funny I Am Lower on the Mavs uh trade deadline moves than you

Are in the sense that like I don’t necessar I guess you haven’t actually said anything about their deadline moves but I thought Phoenix’s deadline moves were smart because they actually brought players into the equation that I could see playing significant roles for instance like I think there’s a c one

Player well so I I think I think there’s a universe where a cad at Center lineup could have Royce O’Neal and dadus young although he was more of a buyout he was a buyout but like still like I could see like like to me Royce O’Neal is probably

In their closing five which is what makes like whereas with the Mavs it’s like I would probably rather have I’m we we’ll talk about the map it gets a little bit tougher so like I I you know it’s interesting because they were the two teams that I thought

Behaved most desperately at the deadline in terms of like going to to like to to to make these like moves on the margins 4 no and behind the scenes Phoenix was trying to find a lot of options 440 minutes of Bradley Beal Deon Booker and Kevin Durant this year 125 offensive

Rating 113 defensive rating they’ve held up well enough on the glass for it not to be a problem um I like the KD at Center look for specific kind of like like a curveball for a short stretch uh I actually thought it was smart for them

To go away from it against Sacramento uh when they won last week I like what I’m seeing from Phoenix overall I do get concerned though not to bring up the injury thing but like they the beal and Booker are both susceptible to these like soft tissue injuries which always

Freaked me out a little bit because like I think they need to be really humming on offense when they get to the postseason for this to work and rhythm is going to be a huge part of that and like Beal just went down with another hammy and so I do get concerned about

Him getting back and actually getting into rhythm in time for it to matter cuz things really took off for the Suns this year when Beal was consistently in the lineup and so I do believe in that group um I actually think they’re just a much better version of last year’s Suns team

It’s just I’m concerned about whether or not they’ll be in Rhythm at the right time where do you have Phoenix at I had Phoenix at eight largely because of the injury question uh Beal’s continued health is concerning Kevin Durant has a history of soft soft tissue

Injuries at this point that needs to be accounted for on some level and Yousef nerk skch uh has played at most 56 games in the previous Four Seasons he is currently at 52 uh we will see if he can stay healthy for the whole way I think nurkic has been an utterly

Like he has to be out there for 30 minutes plus for them or else it gets really really hard for them I agree with you in terms of the KD closing at the five lineups from time to time can be really valuable but the Western Conference where you have to deal with

Carl towns Rudy goar combination in the front Court you have to deal with Nicole yic in the front Court I think that it’s going to be very difficult for them to not have nurkic on the court I mean how would you even feel about a Lakers

Series against the Suns if they tried to go small with KD against like Anthony Davis at the five like I I think that’s probably a bad idea for the Suns because I think it’d be putting too much onto KD’s shoulders just physically in terms

Of wear and tear uh over the course of a full series in my opinion so I really think nurkic is essential and I worry about his health a little bit Beal as you mentioned continues to go down here and there with injuries they’ve only played 440 minutes together this

Season and yet when they have been playing together they have been phenomenal this year like those lineups are fantastic Grayson Allen this year Grayson Allen is shooting 5148 89 this season Grayson Allen is going to get so much money this off season that uh like he’s the guy that

People keep not bringing up in free agency as like an option for some of these teams Grayson Allen is having like the best like walk year marginally compared to like where everybody else was entering this season compared to where they are now in the NBA like he’s

Averaging 13 points a game on 51 4889 in a role where they desperately need him night after night after night to perform and succeed okay let’s talk about the questions here like their closing lineup it sounds like you think is Booker Katie Beal Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neal or

Jic depending on the matchup for Roy or Grayson yeah I think I I think I’d go with Roy instead of Eric Gordon in their um in their small ball lineups I think that when they I think they will have bigger looks where they go Roy instead of Grayson

Too um you Yousef nkic for as much as he gets criticized for his defense like he’s had some moments this year like I thought he was awesome down the stretch against Sacramento the other night had like several huge plays down he’s one of those guys kind of like joic where like

When he’s really active with his hands especially like on the ball handler like when he’s not sitting back passively but rather more aggressive he can actually be pretty impactful because he’s a smart player I actually get more concerned about him against like you know why I

Think he’s such a bad match up against the Lakers is like LeBron can run pick and roll against him whereas so many other teams can switch it he can get downhill against him he can’t play against the Thunder like Point Blank like the Thunder would just like completely cause all sorts of

Issues for him uh in Space over the course of a seven game series but you know do you think that the KD Booker Beal combination is just good enough to beat the Thunder like I think that’s a completely reasonable opinion because they actually can go to the KD at the

Five lineup against the Thunder and not get Blitz on the defensive glass so it it’s the suns are interesting the suns are a team that I’ve really uh come to enjoy when they’ve been fully healthy this season uh I had the Suns below the Mavs in the Timberwolves

At this point and then also the Thunder I’m assuming right um I I’m realizing I have the Thunder or I have the Suns at seven suns at seven okay Gotcha He

Jason Timpf is joined by The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie to discuss how high they are on Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and the Phoenix Suns ahead of the NBA Playoffs. What should the Suns’ closing lineup look like? How concerning are the injuries Phoenix has dealt with this season?

Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/OJ5U55c_Kdk

Timeline:
00:00 – Why Jason ranks Suns at #6
02:44 – How confident is Sam in Phoenix?
05:15 – Suns closing lineup

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