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.

2. Booker-Beal-Bates-Diop-Durant-Ayton

This is a lot more conventional, with Keita Bates-Diop sliding into the starting five to do everything the returning Josh Okogie can do plus more for the group. The play of Bates-Diop in the last couple of seasons has gone under the radar, because he has played for the San Antonio Spurs.

At 27-years-old, think of him as exactly what he is going to be, and just the type of glue guy this group needs. Bates-Diop is rarely going to get his number called, and is going to work himself into the ground on the defensive end. You never know, he might even knock down a shot or two as well.

Booker might have made real strides on the defensive end last season, but you can still expect Bates-Diop to try and shut down the likes of Jayson Tatum and Kyrie Irving on any given night. In 2021-22 when Bates-Diop was still with the Spurs, they had a defensive rating of 111.7.

That was around league average, as that team went 34-48. When Bates-Diop was on the court however, they had what would have been a league leading (in a tie with the Boston Celtics) rating of 106.2 on that end. That number did jump significantly to 116.6 last season, but the Spurs were tanking to try and land Victor Wembanyama, which they did.

In fact the Spurs themselves has the worst defensive rating in the entire league at 119.6, so they were still notably better when Bates-Diop was on the court. This is the group that makes the most sense on paper, with Bates-Diop taking a load off defensively for the stars, while they do their thing and pile up points.

1. Booker-Beal-Gordon-Watanabe-Durant

We’ve returned to Ayton as a discussion point, and that is because he is not a part of the starting group in this scenario. If that sounds outrageous, remember he can still close games. But the duo of Eric Gordon and Yuta Watanabe alongside the established three players is an intriguing one.

There is no doubt this five will get minutes together during the season, but could they actually start games? Gordon has looked fantastic this summer while helping The Bahamas get closer than they ever have to qualifying for the Olympics, while Yuta Watanabe has been a star for Japan at the FIBA World Cup.

Gordon may be 34-years-old, but he is as experienced on the defensive end as they come. In fact Bates-Diop, and also rookie Toumani Camara, could learn a lot from watching Gordon with this group. Watanabe is underrated defensively because of his size, and both are above average 3-point shooters.

This is a fun group, with the only downside being how much Durant would get pummelled inside the paint on the defensive end. Offensively however, there looks to be a super blend of shooting, size, handling and athleticism. The potential to lead the league in offensive rating is definitely there.

This would also allow Ayton to feast on second units for larger stretches of games, and to really get his mojo back in the process. Of course he may feel put out coming off the bench, but perhaps that is also the fire that coach Vogel needs to light underneath of him to truly get the best out of the big man. Keep an eye on this group — there’s a lot to like about it.