The start of the 2024-25 NBA season has seen the Phoenix Suns transforming their playing style under new head coach Mike Budenholzer. Their stellar improvement in the new season has captured the attention of NBA analysts like Kendrick Perkins, who believes the Suns are among the top teams in the association.
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Perkins chose the Suns as his dark horse contender to win the NBA title without any hesitation on ESPN’s ‘First Take’. He said, “When it comes down to the Phoenix Suns, they’re actually my dark horse to win it all. They check all boxes.”
.@KendrickPerkins says the Suns are his dark horse to win it all this season pic.twitter.com/mqETcJjavz
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 29, 2024
Perkins went down the roster highlighting the positives he sees in the Suns. The former Celtics big man can trace some changes especially in Phoenix’s star trio of Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
The former NBA champion with the Boston Celtics highlighted Beal’s game, saying, “Bradley Beal looks 100% healthy and is playing with a different type of tenacity.” Statistically, Beal’s numbers are nearly the same but his impact has improved.
With Beal on the court, the Suns’ FG% increases by 8.9%, which is in the 84th percentile. Moreover, the 31-year-old now understands his role as the third option on the team and has accepted it with grace.
Perkins also highlighted Booker’s performance against the Lakers on Monday night. The four-time All-Star finished with his first elite-level performance of the season, putting up 33 points on 47.8% shooting from the field.
However, there is one player that Perkins considers to be the most important to the Suns’ title aspirations. He pointed to two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant’s changed demeanor as the X-factor for the Suns’ campaign this season.
KP said, “The most important piece is Kevin Durant. Last year, a disgruntled Kevin Durant, an unhappy Kevin Durant wasn’t on the same page as Frank Vogel, but still averaged 27 points per game. Now he’s happy. We saw what he did to the Lakers last night in the fourth quarter.”
In the Suns’ most recent game against the Lakers, Durant finished with 18 of his 30 points in the second half. Eight of those points came in the fourth quarter. KD’s fourth-quarter heroics are good signs for the Suns going into the season. Considering how close the competition is in the West, some of the games will go down the wire. Therefore, showing up in the fourth-quarter is very important for a superstar like Durant.
In the 2023-24 season, under Frank Vogel, the Suns were the worst scoring team in the league in the last quarter with 25.2 points. They’ve completely changed that under Budenholzer, currently sitting 10th in the league with 29.5 points.
This improvement in their performance can be credited to the cohesion of their stars’ tandem. However, the addition of a true point guard, Tyus Jones, has exponentially increased the quality of the Suns’ offensive possessions.
Phoenix witnessed their best seasons in the Booker era when Chris Paul led the team at the point guard position.
In four games, Jones is averaging 10 points and six assists per game. He isn’t the tallest player on the court standing at 6-foot-1. However, his presence on defense increases the opponent’s turnover percentage by 5%, which is in the 90th percentile.
The combination of Beal, Durant and Booker, classifies the Suns as a Superteam in the NBA. Despite that, they weren’t able to go on a deep postseason run last season. Their performance in the early stages of this season suggests that may change.
The Suns have experimented with Kevin Durant
As great as Booker is, Durant is undoubtedly the best player on the Suns. The superstar forward has embraced his positional shift to power forward at this stage of his career. However, Budenholzer has gone a step further and experimented with Durant at center.
KD hasn’t played significant minutes at the five this season. However, the Suns have found success with the lineup of Tyus Jones, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Royce O’Neal and Kevin Durant.
This specific lineup has only played 19 possessions together, but they hold a net rating of +88.4.
As long as Phoenix’s experiments result in regular season wins, they can afford to tinker with their roster. This is due to Durant’s extensive experience in the postseason.
KD is third among active players in games played in the playoffs with 170. His ability to perform and withstand hostile environments is an essential trait for the Suns. Many competitors in the Western Conference are home to extremely energetic fan bases.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, the Dallas Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder showcased their stellar home-court advantage last season. Durant’s ability to set the tone will be crucial to the Suns’ success in those venues come April.
Mike Budenholzer and his coaching staff know what to expect from Durant and Booker. If the Suns receive the production from their supporting cast as they have so far this season, they can realize Kendrick Perkins’ prediction.
