At the end of the season, the Phoenix Suns will have a solid chance to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The potential for their success is endless with Kevin Durant on board.
The likes of Devin Booker and Chris Paul have (mostly) stepped up when needed, yet if the Suns are going to grab their first ring, the three following players must make good on their potential:
Kevin Durant
This one is obvious. Durant is considered a superstar and consensus top three player in the NBA. He is always expected to be the catalyst on a championship winning team.
The Suns have never won an NBA title and the pressure is on Durant to break that curse. Warranted or not, Durant is now considered the savior for the Suns’ franchise so anything short of perfect play will be a failure.
Phoenix also parted ways with fan favorites in Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson to acquire Durant, adding even more pressure to earn the love of fans and ease the pain of losing the “twins”.
Durant is currently averaging 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists. These numbers should stay relatively the same even with him adjusting to a new squad in Phoenix.
We’ve seen him come through in the clutch so many times before. Can he do it for the Suns?
Deandre Ayton
It’s clear that Durant and Booker will be the primary scoring options on offense but Deandre Ayton will be extremely critical if the Suns are to go anywhere.
Monty Williams loves to utilize the pick-and-roll with Ayton and that should still be the case with Durant in the lineup.
With Durant and Booker getting extra attention on defense, it will be Ayton who will have more open looks and he needs to capitalize on them. Ayton could put up 30-plus points on any given night which could be a huge help if Phoenix’s other two superstars are having a rough game.
Ayton is also the Suns’ rock on defense, manning the paint while having the potential to be ferocious on the boards. He will need to continue his efforts on the defensive end in order to help Phoenix become a more balanced team on both sides of the ball.
Ayton’s shown flashes of what he can be. It’s time for him to shine when the lights are the brightest.
Torrey Craig
Torrey Craig may not be a superstar, but he is more important to the Suns’ rotation than some people think.
It is possible that going forward Craig will be in Phoenix’s starting lineup. While he is not particularly a threat on offense it will be defensively where the Suns will need him most.
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Craig has a smaller role but come playoff time when the game is very slow paced due to the intensity on defense, he will be critical.
Not every player in a starting lineup needs to be an excellent scorer. If Craig plays the role that he needs to, Phoenix will be exponentially better.
Source: yardbarker.com
