Phoenix Suns start, bench, cut: Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker

The Phoenix Suns enter the 2023-24 season with potentially the best trio of players in the entire NBA. It doesn’t get much better than Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, even if there are those out there who think this coming season will end the same way the last one did.

These three players combined for a whopping 80.7 points per game last season, and you can be sure head coach Frank Vogel will be building his entire offensive scheme around this fabulous trio. At least one of them will be on the court at all times.

But in a game of start, bench, cut — which of these three players is making the grade to be the top dog amongst the three?

It’s not that there are no wrong answers here, Beal is an All-Star who may have one more level to get to, while we all know both Durant and Booker are superstars of the highest level. They are the only pair of teammates who right now are top 10 players in the league, so that should tell you all you need to know about how difficult this is going to be.

This subject should also be approached by taking emotion out of the equation. Booker is Suns basketball through and through. Already a franchise icon who was recently voted the best Suns player in the history of the organization by our readers. An unenviable task then, but a great problem to have for this franchise.

Cut – Bradley Beal

There is little doubt Beal would start for a whole host of other teams here. What the Washington Wizards would do to have a player of his quality… But in such a competitive field, Beal finds himself getting cut by the Suns before ever even playing a single game for them.

It could be worse, nobody in their right mind out there would trade him for James Harden, but there will still be no complaints about Beal landing in this spot. He is a fantastic offensive player, one who has been unfairly pegged as the Ray Allen of this “Big 3”, when the reality is he is going to be so much more than that.

It is more likely Beal plays like the Allen who we saw with the Milwaukee Bucks and Seattle Supersonics. More than just a 3-point shooter (although he is a career 37.2 percent bomber for good measure), and somebody who will show a level of athleticism and verve around the basket that many seem to think has left him despite being only 30-years-old.

Unfortunately for Beal, there is no way he could even overtake either Booker or Durant here either. Even if he has the best offensive season of his career, he’s just not the other guys. If he can turn in an elite level defensive campaign – well he’s still just not quite as big and mobile as Booker on that end either.

Bench – Kevin Durant

This is hard. In what world is the great Kevin Durant getting benched? He is undoubtedly one of the 25 best players in the history of the league, and depending on your viewpoint, he could be considerably higher than that again.

He may be the most unique offensive player in the history of the league – an individual who gets whatever shot he wants no matter where he is on the court. Career averages of 27.3 points per contest and 38.5 percent from deep in just shy of one thousand regular season games is absolutely insane. He is a four-time scoring champion, and an All-Star 13 times.

And yet… and yet…

Durant is now 34-years-old, and is beginning to come down from his absolute apex. This is a fictional exercise reserved for the depths of the offseason, so it would be harsh to penalize Durant for his past injury troubles that have caused him to miss many games in the last number of years. We also cannot criticise his desire to switch teams at a rate that is now common in the NBA.

If we’re talking about carrying a team for an entire regular season, as well as a playoff push, Durant is no longer the guy who you lean upon the entire time. He’d likely tell you that himself, and joining a younger star like Booker is a smart way to conserve his body and energy in order to prolong his career.

Is Kevin Durant the best player on this list? On his day, he absolutely is. By the time all three have finished their careers, will Durant place highest on everybody’s all-time lists? Again, it seems very likely, even if Booker is only 26-years-old. But in this moment, and with Durant having been in the league since 2007, he is coming off the bench.

Start – Devin Booker

The ascension of Booker is almost complete, and getting the nod to start here only accelerates the coronation. Former center Tyson Chandler could see Booker was destined for greatness right from the jump during his rookie season. In only eight seasons, he has played over half the games (530) that Durant has amassed.

Booker isn’t super durable, but he’s also remained healthy when it has really mattered for the organization. The 2022-23 postseason felt like another step in his evolution as well, as Booker averaged a playoff high 33.7 points per game. His performances against the eventual champion Denver Nuggets inspirational in helping them take a pair of games.

Booker is obviously an elite scorer, but defensively he may even be underrated at this point. The Suns ranked seventh in defensive rating last season (112.3), and although that has as much to do with players like Mikal Bridges before they were traded, Booker most certainly played his part.

The Suns were only marginally worse (113.4) when Booker was on the court, and the smart money would be on him recognizing he will need to be more dialled in on that end this coming season if he wants to lead the franchise to a first ever NBA championship.

Other than being “Mr. Suns”, Booker also has something going for him that neither Durant or Beal can boast. He can be a legitimate point guard when required, and the “Point-Booker” movement is already in full swing. He also gives the organization superteam insurance as well, in the process edging out Durant here in a razor-thin decision to be the starter in this exercise.