3 reasons Phoenix Suns’ season could end with a championship in 2024
By Luke Duffy
1. They’ll be the best offensive group of all-time
Last season, the Sacramento Kings had an offensive rating of 118.6. That was the best mark of all-time in this category, with the Suns some way back at 114.5, right around league average. They achieved this with Durant on the roster for less than 10 regular season games, and without Beal added to the mix.
Can you even imagine how good they are going to be this season with Durant, Booker and Beal? We’ve already spoken about Gordon and Watanabe, but the Suns also have cutters like Keita Bates-Diop and the returning Josh Okogie to keep defenders honest while their stars go to work.
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This Suns group has more ways to hurt opponents than anybody else in the league, and they are going to flex those offensive muscles from early in the season. A typical week for them can look like this — on one night Booker can go off for 40, while the next night he plays point guard to let Durant and Beal score 30 apiece.
Taking the foot off the accelerator, and the three of those can then go into the next name and score a pedestrian 20 points each, while Watanabe and Gordon combine for eight made shots from deep. That’s without even considering Okogie and Bates-Diop, who themselves can make a shot when required.
The following night the Suns can get weird with it, and let Bol Bol put up 12 points in 10 minutes of action before hiding him away again for a couple of games. Ayton averaged 18 points per game last season, and he is going to pop up with at least 12 points each night. Factor in the underrated Jordan Goodwin and Ish Wainright, and it is an absolute wrap for everybody else.