The Suns will play better without Kevin Durant
I could spend hours watching game film, sifting through player and coach quotes, and analyzing everything going wrong with the Phoenix Suns on the court right now. But some truths are painfully obvious, and you don’t need to be a basketball expert to recognize them. The Suns should be better than they’ve been—even without Kevin Durant.
Before the season began, it was clear that the Suns’ title hopes hinged on the health of their “Big 3.” By playoff time, losing Durant, Devin Booker, or Bradley Beal would drastically reduce their chances of winning the franchise’s first-ever NBA championship. This is the inherent risk of building your team around three of the highest-paid players in modern NBA history.
Yet, two things can be true at once: the Suns thrive when their best player is healthy, and they’ve played significantly worse than expected in his absence.
Staggering Stats Show Durant’s Impact
In 13 games with Durant this season, the Suns went 11-2, boasting a +5.1 point differential. During this span, their offense ranked 11th in the league (114.1 points per 100 possessions), and their defense also ranked 11th (110.9 points per 100 possessions). In Durant’s last four games, the Suns improved further, with a stellar defensive rating of 105.5, marking them as one of the league’s elite two-way teams.
Contrast that with the 10 games Durant has missed: the Suns are a dreadful 1-9 with a -8.6 point differential. Their defensive rating of 123.3 in this span would rank as the worst in NBA history for a full season. Losses to middle-tier teams like the Orlando Magic, New Orleans Pelicans, and Brooklyn Nets highlight just how lost the Suns appear without Durant.
Why Are the Suns Struggling So Much?
This conversation starts with Devin Booker, who is enduring his statistically worst season since his third year in the NBA. His averages of 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists sound passable, but they come with below-average efficiency. Booker is shooting just 43.2% from the field and 33.5% from three-point range. Six times this season, Booker has failed to score 20 points—a stark drop from last season, when this happened just 12 times in 68 games.
Booker’s defensive regression is equally troubling. Two years ago, he was the best player on a 64-win team and a defensive contributor. In last year’s playoffs, Booker delivered one of the best individual stretches of his career, averaging 34 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds on elite shooting splits. This season, Booker has rarely resembled that All-NBA talent.
Bradley Beal, the third member of the Suns’ star trio, hasn’t fared much better. While he’s often seen as a complementary piece, Beal’s inconsistency in Durant’s absence is glaring. His 24-point game against the Pelicans was marred by seven turnovers. In his next two games, Beal managed just 15 points per game on inefficient shooting and totaled more turnovers (14) than assists (10).
Role Players Deliver While Stars Falter
Ironically, the Suns’ role players have stepped up during this stretch. Royce O’Neale averaged 19.3 points over the last three games, shooting an impressive 63.6% from three-point range. Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen have also provided offensive sparks, but their efforts have been undermined by subpar performances from the team’s stars.
In their last three games, Booker averaged just 24.7 points on 35.1% shooting, while Beal contributed 19 points per game with a dismal three-point percentage of 20%. Worse yet, the Suns’ defense has been atrocious with Booker on the floor, recording a 125.7 defensive rating during this span.
What Needs to Change?
The Suns cannot continue to rely solely on Durant to cover their deficiencies. Booker must rediscover his All-NBA form, and Beal needs to provide consistent offensive production. Without significant improvements, the Suns risk wasting what should be a championship-caliber roster. For now, their struggles without Durant raise serious questions about their long-term viability as contenders.
