As the last piece to move and complete the demise of the Brooklyn Nets super team, Kevin Durant is joining the Phoenix Suns. With Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, the Suns have become one of the favorites to make the finals. Phoenix has a deep bench and several role players that are key to building a winning championship-winning team. But the biggest question is, how will KD fit in with the Suns?
Who Will Take Over for Bridges
In order to get Durant to Phoenix, the Suns had to send their best defender, Mikal Bridges, to Brooklyn. The Suns will certainly feel the loss of Cam Johnson and Jae Crowder as well, but the loss of Mikal Bridges will hit Phoenix hard on the defensive end. Bridges often defended the best opposing player, and without him, the Suns are vulnerable.
In a perfect world, Kevin Durant would simply step in a takeover for Mikal Bridges. He would provide more prolific scoring and solid defense on the best opposing player. Unfortunately for Phoenix, this is not a perfect world. While Durant is a solid defender with his incredible length and speed, it would be a stretch to call him a lockdown defender. Plus, it is difficult to ask Durant to score 25-35 points every night and lock down the best opposing player.
The most likely answer to the Suns problem is Torrey Craig. Craig does not have the defensive prowess that Bridges possessed, but he is a solid defender. Craig is a good rebounder and is capable of bringing down 10 or 12 boards per game. Craig can also be a presence in the paint, protecting the rim and occasionally sending back a layup. The most important thing, however, is that Craig doesn’t have to learn a new system like Durant.
Head Coach Monty Williams is working on a plan to integrate Durant. “Just trying to figure out effective ways to help him integrate without changing too much of what we do.” Durant needs time to work his way into the Suns style of play, and Torrey Craig taking on the defensive assignment will certainly help.
A Truly Incredible Offense
Offensively the Phoenix Suns are about to become a terror in the NBA. Once Durant returns from injury Phoenix will have one of, if not the best, starting five in the league. Currently, the Suns are projected to start Chris Paul and Devin Booker in the backcourt, per usual. The Suns frontcourt will likely consist of Deandre Ayton, Torrey Craig and Kevin Durant. Truly a formidable starting five.
The Suns offense will have no shortage of scoring from Booker and Durant. Booker is currently averaging over 26 points a game while Durant is averaging almost 30. Future hall-of-famer Chris Paul will be able to contribute to the scoring, as he always has, but his main role will likely be in the passing game. While Paul is currently averaging a solid 13.8 points per game, his largest offensive contribution is his impressive 8.9 assists per game.
The Suns will also be able to look to their bench for offensive contributions. Phoenix has many weapons on the bench like Bismack Biyombo, who has established himself as a presence in the paint, and the sharpshooting Landry Shamet, who can knock down threes from anywhere. The Suns have six different players, not including Durant, currently averaging over 10 points a game and four players averaging over three assists. There’s no question about it. The Suns offense will be nothing short of remarkable.
