The Phoenix Suns blew up their roster mid 2022 to trade for Kevin Durant. They hoped the Slim Reaper would be able to lead them to championship glory. Instead, they’re yet to even make the Conference Finals since KD’s arrival. Charles Barkley, who led the Suns to the 1993 NBA Finals, blamed their shortcomings on their leadership vacuum.
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“I’m glad they finally got a point guard. They still got to figure who the leaders on the team is. As I said last year and everybody got mad, Kevin Durant just wants to play basketball. He doesn’t want to be a leader,” Charles Barkley shared during the Roch and Manuch show.
Last year, Barkley was providing color commentary for the All-Star game when he called Durant a “follower”, not a leader. Chuck has remained adamant that if the Suns are to have any chance at contending, Devin Booker must step up into that leadership role.
The 1993 MVP continued, “I would love to see the Suns win a championship. What I am hoping is Devin learns some leadership skills during the Olympics…I’m hoping he learns that ‘Yo man, every team has to have leaders’. They have to have vocal leaders…because leadership is not for you, it’s for those other guys. 7-8-9-10-11, cause they need somebody to follow.”
Sir Charles previously used a bus analogy to separate the leaders from the followers. He even referred to KD as a “bus rider” who couldn’t handle the pressure of driving his own team. Chuck has also called Durant “very sensitive” and chided him for not being able to take criticism. It’s likely a combination of these factors that deflates Barkley’s trust in the Slim Reaper’s leadership.
On the bright side, at least Chuck sees Phoenix’s off-season moves in a good light.
How did the Suns re-tool following their first-round exit?
With Bradley Beal joining Booker and KD last season, the team had many ways to get the ball into the basket. But where they frequently came up short, was on the glass and in their assist numbers.
During their first-round matchup, the Suns were in the bottom three of assists among all playoff teams, while turning the ball over at a high rate. Worse yet, they were dead last in rebounding as well. Thankfully, the front office recognized these weaknesses.
The Suns addressed their rebounding by re-signing Bol Bol and acquiring Mason Plumlee through free agency. Furthermore, they signed not one but two proper point guards this off-season: Monte Morris and Tyus Jones.
Currently, their roster is far more balanced than it was last year with long, defensive wings in Josh Okogie and Royce O’Neal providing some much-needed tenacity. Of course, it’s still hard to imagine the Suns taking Denver, Minnesota, or OKC to seven games. But they certainly don’t look like a team that will get swept in the first round next season.
