3 possible starting lineups for the Phoenix Suns in 2023-24

The Phoenix Suns will have a completely revamped roster once the 2023-24 season gets underway. With Bradley Beal replacing Chris Paul, and no less than eight players on minimum deals joining the squad, the jury is out on how good this group can be.

We have the franchise tentative pegged to go 54-28 during the regular season, but the Suns are going to need more than just good luck and an avoidance of injuries to make that happen. Head coach Frank Vogel is also going to need to build out the correct starting five.

Luckily for the new head coach, he has been given the players to try and do this, with plenty of star power and the right kinds of role players available to him.

While there are those who think that closing groups are more important, the need to experiment and come up with the right blend of starters is still required. Making it easier for the Suns is the fact that four of the five starters are already nailed on.

As long as everybody is healthy, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Deandre Ayton (more on him later) will be starting each game. Chances are they’ll be closing each contest as well, especially when the postseason begins. Who then should be rounding out this group to start the season?

3. Booker-Beal-Durant-Bol-Ayton

Let’s just get weird right out of the gate here. Center Bol Bol would be — an odd choice to start games. But there is some sort of method to this madness. We all know Bol is atrocious defensively, and because of this he will never get near a closing group in any game he plays.

We’ve already seen this when he played for the Orlando Magic last season, and the Suns have a lot more going on than the Magic did in 2022-23. But why then did the Suns sign Bol? What if it is to play 15 minutes per game, as many think, but also to start contests to really throw off the game plan of opponents?

Think about it, Ayton will be in place to cover Bol defensively, while Durant can also help some on that end. This would allow Bol to do what he does best. Namely, a little bit of ball-handling and a lot of shooting from outside of the paint. In December 2022, Bol shot 44.4 percent from deep on over two attempts per night, so we’ve seen him have success doing this before.

Bol would be an offensive wildcard who would get tons of open looks because of the players he would be playing alongside. Given his height, he’s getting open looks anyways. But if he could learn any sort of fundamentals about playing a two-man game with Beal or Booker, then those 15 minutes, including starting each game, would be hugely beneficial for the Suns.