The post-All-star Game run-in for the Phoenix Suns is about to begin, and the team needs to accomplish these five tasks in those 22 games.
Making the playoffs with the highest seed possible to avoid the play-in tournament should be the Phoenix Suns’ primary objective over the final 22 games of the season. However, as the team and fans learned last year, the season is just a warm-up for the postseason, where Champions are crowned and dreams are fulfilled or broken. Thus, beyond making the playoffs, Monty Williams and the Suns need to ready themselves for the grind that is the postseason if Phoenix is to win a title finally. Five keys to the Suns’ postseason readiness must be addressed down this stretch run.
Suns stretch run Key 1 – KD
The most obvious of the keys for Phoenix heading down the stretch is also the most important, but likely the easiest, acclimating to and with Kevin Durant. Players of Durant’s ability certainly change the variables in the Suns’ equation, and determining how to make that math work is William’s number one goal. Once Durant starts to play, that is.
There is good news, regardless of how many games Durant plays, which is that, like Devin Booker and Chris Paul, KD is a baller and a gym rat who is more concerned about playing basketball than all the other distractions surrounding the game. The shared laser-like focus of Booker, Paul, and Durant should enable the Suns to adapt quickly to KD and vice versa.
If you know how to play basketball, when you play with others that know how to play, it is always easier, regardless of what plays you might want to run. Although the time to get right with KD is a priority, this issue should be solved in the gym.
Getting everyone accustomed to playing with KD and Durant familiar with everyone else will help Phoenix develop chemistry. Chemistry is something the team is going to need, as everyone has a part to play if the Suns are going to win a championship, especially the other stars.
Suns stretch run Key 2 – Keep Ayton at another level
Over the last month, heading into the All-star break, Deandre Ayton seemingly took a step as a player. Averaging more than 23 points per contest in the previous 15 games, Ayton is becoming the center the Suns need right before our eyes.
Of course, if you have followed the Suns long enough, we have been here before. After a great rookie season, Ayton got in trouble with a drug test and was suspended, and his growth was impeded. The last time Ayton had a sustained run like this was in February 2020, and then the world stopped, his progress was again halted, and his game fell back a few notches.
Now, with another volume scorer on the team in Durant, it would be easy for the more passive Ayton to sit back and let DBook and KD carry the load. However, for the Suns to be a real threat to get out of the West, let alone win the NBA title, they need a third scoring option, which is where Ayton falls into place.
If Ayton can stay above 20 points per game for the rest of the season, while Durant and Booker get theirs, come playoff time, a guaranteed 70 points from three players sure sounds good.
Suns stretch run Key 3 – Whose getting picked fifth?
At this point, once Durant is back on the floor, 80% of the Suns starting five names itself. Assuming all are available, Paul, Booker, Durant, and Ayton are the big four. However, basketball is played with five players at a time, and who that fifth person ends up being may be critical for this team.
The two most likely candidates are Josh Okogie and Torrey Craig. The latter has started for much of the season, filling in for injured players. However, Okogie has a bit more scoring punch than Craig. While neither is known for dropping 20 a night, both bring many intangibles and a willingness to do some of the dirty work, given the other four starters, which is what the Suns need.
If the Suns are playing a team with a quick ball-handling guard, Okogie may get the nod to help Paul defensively. Craig is the likely choice if Phoenix needs to bang a bit more or add more size.
Of course, there could be a surprise like TJ Warren, Terrence Ross, or even Damion Lee, who grabs that fifth spot. Williams and the Suns need someone to take it and make it theirs, regardless of who it is.
If KD gets comfortable, Ayton keeps producing, and a fifth starter emerges, the Suns will be well on their way to being prepared for the playoffs. However, there are still two more keys for these final 22 games that will either have the Suns ready for a big postseason run or talking about what might have been.
Suns stretch run Key 4 – Where’s the bench?
The common thinking is that with Jae Crowder heading east along with Bridges and Johnson in the trade for Durant, Phoenix lost some depth. However, Warren came with KD, and Crowder never played, so the Suns still sit in the same position numbers-wise. However, Phoenix did give up two starters and only got one in return, even if that one was KD.
So after a non-starter becomes a starter, the bench is in some ways thinner, and Williams will need to work on this.
While Okogie could be an excellent sixth man if Craig starts, the same may not be true in reverse, given Craig does not attack the basket with the same vigor as Josh. On the other hand, players like Ross, Lee, and Warren are in the league because of their scoring, and in theory, any of them could be the first guy off the bench.
The Suns have these four possibilities, just for the wing position. Cam Payne is supposed to be coming back, and so is Landry Shamet; where do they fit along with Sabian Lee in the backcourt rotation?
The frontcourt is not as crowded, but the benches will shrink as the starter’s minutes grow in the postseason. This means whoever gets the call has to make the intended impact. Williams will have his hands full figuring out this rotation, but he must be right come playoff time.
Suns stretch run Key 5 – Who is available tonight for Phoenix?
Health may be Phoenix’s biggest obstacle or potential challenge in a run to the finals. This season has been difficult, with significant players missing significant games, and the results have been a drop in the standings but maybe some more experience on the bench. However, this is the regular season.
Come playoff time, the Suns have to be healthy to have any chance of winning, and this means the big four have to be available throughout the rest of the season and through June and the finals. Given Durant and Paul’s age and injury histories, this is a tall task. Likewise, Ayton and Booker have had their share of knocks.
If Phoenix can find a way to get all four healthy and they stay healthy, we might finally be celebrating an NBA title. However, the reality is all those other pieces, KD fitting in, a fifth start, a bench rotation, only matter if the big four are healthy. So let’s hope for the best health possible and stretch run to remember for Phoenix.