The Phoenix Suns are considered a favorite to win the 2023-24 NBA championship.

The Suns have three of the best scorers in the league with Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker. But the team has not had all three of those players on the floor in a regular-season game.

Health

Durant is the only member of the Suns' big three to play all seven of their regular season-games. Booker (left foot, right calf strain) and Beal (back spasms) have missed a great part of those games.

Durant is looking like an MVP candidate. He ranks fifth in the NBA in scoring (29.9 points per game) and is averaging 6.6 rebounds and 4.0 rebounds.

Unfortunately for him, he has not had his costars. Booker played in the Suns' season-opener against the Golden State Warriors and last Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs, but he is now out with a right calf strain after he played following a left foot soreness and ankle sprain.

Beal, who has not played in the regular season, has missed 10 of the Suns' combined 12 preseason and regular-season games due to back spasms. He could return Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls.

The Suns are 3-4 and had a chance to win every game they played. But Phoenix can't be fully understood by how good it can be unless it has its full roster available.

Beal is rumored to make a return to the court Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls. Beal in 2022-23 averaged 23.1 points per game for the Washington Wizards. In 2020-21, he averaged 31.3 points per contest and challenged Steph Curry for the scoring title.

Durant has kept the Suns in games. Phoenix won the second game of a back-to-back Sunday against the Detroit Pistons. Phoenix played two close games against the Spurs and had a 12-point loss to the 76ers Saturday.

Durant, Booker and Beal each have a scoring average of at least 22.1 points per game for their respective careers. Booker is the Suns' longest-tenured player and has been the face of the team's franchise since he was a rookie.

Phoenix is expected to have maybe its best-ever team on the floor. The Suns lost to the Denver Nuggets, who won the 2023 NBA championship, in six games last playoffs. Phoenix lost starting point guard Chris Paul in Game 2 of the series and still put together an epic fight with back-to-back wins that were led by Booker, who became the first player since Michael Jordan to have at least 295 points through the first eight games of a playoff run, and Durant, who averaged 29.5 points in that round.

The Suns this offseason traded for Beal, a three-time All-Star, and hired coach Frank Vogel, who is known as one of the best defensive coaches in recent memory and perhaps longer. Vogel has three times led teams to the top defensive rating since 2011, which is the most in that span.