The Phoenix Suns built their own Big 3 this past offseason, acquiring Bradley Beal in a trade to link up with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. But 36 games in, things have not gone to plan. Frank Vogel's squad is 19-17 and eighth in the Western Conference. At this moment in time, they do not look like a title contender.
KD, Book, and Beal have played a mere five games together, with Beal and Booker both dealing with injury problems. But, that's not an excuse if you're asking Durant, who spoke on the Suns' poor start after a gut-wrenching loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday evening.
Via Duane Rankin:
“Only results matter to the people watching and context really doesn't matter. We know what it takes to build a good team and expectations from the outside are just outside noise but we understand what it takes and understand why people are disappointed when we take losses like this.”
None of the Big 3 have played very game, but Durant has been the healthiest, suiting up 29 times. He's averaging 29.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 6.0 assists. Booker meanwhile has played in 27 contests, averaging 26.4 PPG, 7.9 APG, and 5.0 RPG.
These two are doing their part. But if Beal isn't on the court, this whole thing doesn't work. There's a reason they traded for him. Also, the Suns don't exactly have the most potent supporting cast either and that's undoubtedly needed to be a legitimate title threat.
KD dropped 23 points on Sunday while Book had 24. Beal on the other hand added a mere 12 points against the Ja Morant-less Grizzlies. The Suns need to figure it out sooner rather than later and injuries are a massive factor in the team reaching their full potential.
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