The Phoenix Suns seem to have found their groove over the past three games, pulling off an unexpected winning streak with one of the league’s top offenses during this brief stretch.
What makes this even more intriguing is that they’ve managed it without Bradley Beal, who’s been sidelined by a hamstring injury.
It’s a welcome sight to see the Suns picking up some wins late in the season, even if it muddies the picture a bit.
Their triumph over the Cleveland Cavaliers stood out as one of their gutsiest performances all year, sparking hope that they might still claw their way into the play-in tournament.
Whether they can make any noise if they get there is anyone’s guess, but it could still salvage what’s been a pretty dreary regular season.
This team’s ceiling was always going to hinge on their star power, and the offseason moves looked promising on paper.
Bringing in point guards Tyus Jones and Monte Morris addressed a glaring weakness, while Mason Plumlee was a solid step up from Drew Eubanks as the backup big.
Trading Jusuf Nurkic for Nick Richards also upgraded the center spot.
But here’s the rub: over the last 10 games, only Devin Booker and Kevin Durant are logging over 30 minutes a night.
This late in the season, you’d expect the stars to shoulder more of the load—especially with coach Mike Budenholzer tightening the rotation—but leaning this hard on them isn’t a recipe for long-term success.
It feels like Budenholzer doesn’t fully trust anyone beyond Booker and Durant to get the job done.
Beal’s the only other guy averaging over 30 minutes for the season, with Jones clocking in at 27.9 as the next closest.
But Jones, once the starting point guard, has seen his role shrink dramatically—sometimes even coming off the bench and scrapping for minutes with two-way sparkplug Collin Gillespie.
Rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro have gotten more court time lately, though both are still well shy of 20 minutes a game on the season.
Winning in today’s NBA often comes down to having a dynamic duo backed by solid depth. The Suns, though, have three so-called stars and a supporting cast that’s nowhere near deep enough.
That roster imbalance is starting to bite them, even if this little hot streak proves they can compete when they’re dialed in.
Picture what this team could’ve been with some legit role players behind Booker and Durant.
Instead, they’re leaning on Cody Martin—who can at least defend—for sudden relevance, while Bol Bol swings wildly between DNPs and starting gigs with no middle ground.
Things don’t look poised to improve anytime soon, either. Beal’s no-trade clause makes shipping him out for better depth a pipe dream, though it’s the obvious fix.
That leaves Durant as the more likely trade chip, but a Booker-Beal tandem doesn’t carry the same punch as a Big 2.
For now, it’s up to Booker and Durant to see how far they can drag this squad.
