After seeing that Ja Morant was going to be sidelined during the Memphis Grizzlies-Phoenix Suns clash, fans of the latter could’ve sworn that the Suns would emerge victorious. With all three superstars – Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal – suiting up, the Suns even led the contest by as many as 13 points at one point. However, after suffering a shocking upset in the end, Booker didn’t believe that the “lack of reps” alongside his two All-Star counterparts was any issue.
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The Phoenix Suns’ All-Star trio is one of the deadliest ever to share a locker room. However, their performance was subpar, to say the least. The three generational talents were restricted to only a combined 59 points. On the other hand, the Memphis Grizzlies’ duo of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Marcus Smart recorded a stellar 53 points, leading their team to a 121-115 win in the process.
Counting tonight’s game, the Phoenix Suns have played five games with Booker, Durant, and Beal suiting up together. Sustaining a third loss in this span, the big three have constantly been failing to live up to expectations.
Unsurprisingly, the big three’s inefficiency was a topic that was brought up during the postgame conference. At this time, Booker announced his shocking belief that a lack of reps was not the problem for the trio.
“Nah, I think we should have it (chemistry) down by now,” Booker commented on his chemistry with Durant and Beal.
Despite their lackluster performance, it is clear that Booker has yet to lose any faith in his teammates, something that hasn’t stayed exclusive to him either. Just a week ago, even Bradley Beal displayed his confidence in the team by calling themselves “talented”.
“We’re very talented… we’re very good”
Before the season began, the Phoenix Suns were touted as the team to beat. Regarded as one of the best big threes, offensively, in the modern NBA, the Arizona side was dubbed as the powerhouse of the West before the start of the 2023-24 season. However, so far, the franchise has had a horrid season, something that was far from expected for fans and pundits alike. Perhaps the Phoenix Suns are shell-shocked themselves.
Owing to their awful 19-17 record, Frank Vogel’s boys are currently placed 9th in their conference, barely in the play-in race. Yes, Bradley Beal has had to miss a majority of the campaign with injuries. However, even without the star guard, the likes of Booker and Durant are a duo capable of leading the team to a top seed.
The fact that a healthy lineup including Booker, Beal, and Durant wasn’t able to get past a Ja Morant-less Grizzlies, who played, is extremely concerning, especially for a team that was supposed to be one of the best teams in the NBA this season.
Devin Booker already seems to share great chemistry with Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal
Seems rather bizarre as to why the big three aren’t able to click on the court yet. Several times, the lack of off-court camaraderie seems to be a huge issue. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case with the Phoenix Suns. From what we’ve seen so far, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Durant have great chemistry off the hardwood.
Very recently during an interview, Booker praised KD, calling him one of the top four players ever. While answering a question about Mount Rushmore, Durant failed to mention a fourth name after already listing Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. Taking over for his teammate, Book said, “And Kevin Durant”. In agreeance, Bradley Beal was seen nodding his head.
Apart from constantly showering his teammates with lofty praises, Booker even revealed how he would’ve fought for KD’s shoes until a few years ago.
Fans will certainly hope that the Phoenix Suns can eventually figure it out, instead of becoming like the 2021 Brooklyn Nets, a team that was led by Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden but never did deliver an NBA championship.
