The Phoenix Suns will enter the 2023-24 season with one of the more veteran filled rosters in the entire NBA. When the goal is to win a championship, and after trading for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal in order to try and achieve this goal, there is little room for developing youngsters.
Despite this, the Suns have gotten creative in how they have rounded out their roster, making full use of the veteran’s minimum to sign players like Yuta Watanabe and Eric Gordon. Two excellent additions, but not exactly unknown quantities in the league.
Yet for all of the experienced talent on the roster, how the Suns develop some of their young players will go a long way to deciding just how good they can be.
We all know Durant is an exceptional talent, and that Devin Booker could be in line for an MVP like campaign in 2023-24. But equally as true is that Durant is going to miss regular season games through injury, and Booker will want to have some juice left in the tank for what the franchise hopes will be a long postseason run.
Ensuring that there are young, but also talented, legs rowing in behind these stars is how the Suns go from being an outside contender to one that can go and win the whole thing. Seeding and winning some close regular season battles are a part of being the best of the best, which is why the Suns need to develop these three players from early on next season.