Despite barely just barely making the playoffs and then embarrassingly suffering a 4-0 loss in the first round of the playoffs, the Phoenix Suns seem to be under a bit of a delusion about their season. During a recent press conference, several members of the organization reflected upon their performance from the 2023-2024 season. Additionally, these personnel also spoke about the main points of focus for improvements going ahead. It was at this time that James Jones made some controversial claims about the usage of Kevin Durant.
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There were several reports throughout the regular season that attacked the Phoenix Suns and Frank Vogel for not utilizing Kevin Durant to his fullest. Despite KD being one of the best offensive players in NBA history, Devin Booker was more than often the Suns’ go-to guy. However, going ahead, the General Manager – James Jones – promised that the Slim Reaper would be used to the fullest, as seen in Duane Rankin’s X post.
“Figure out how to maximize Kevin Durant. No one’s done it yet. I believe we’ll be the first team to do it because we maximize him, we can maximize our entire roster,” Jones said.
Jones also highlighted the incredible season that Durant had, almost implying that the Suns did utilize him to the maximum. Hence, the coaching staff being unable to find a way to capitalize the All-Star trio’s minutes efficiently was the reason for the team’s subpar performance, per Jones.
“I think Kevin had a phenomenal season this year, offensively. He had some of the best stretches of his career this year. So it wasn’t on the offensive end, it wasn’t any utilization or usage thing. It was just a totality of figuring out when and where and how to do it together.
Kevin enjoys playing the game, we enjoyed him playing the game. When he’s playing at the highest level, he makes us a really, really good team and we’re damn near unbeatable,” James Jones claimed.
KD did average 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5 assists per game, per Basketball Reference. While these numbers are visually appealing, it is important to note that the 6ft 11” forward failed to reach his career average in each of the three major stats.
James Jones is further inaccurate about the Arizona side potentially being the first to maximize the usage of Kevin Durant. During the Golden State Warriors’ glorious 2016-2019 run, Steve Kerr allowed the 2014 MVP to be the #1 option over Stephen Curry. As a result, the team won two championships in their three trips to the finals (and Durant won two Finals MVPs).
The Durantula was also the #1 option during his stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder, despite sharing the court with Russell Westbrook and James Harden. During a nine-year span, KD led the team to three conference finals and one NBA Finals.
Utilizing Kevin Durant while he’s still somewhat in the prime of his career seems like a great idea for the Suns. However, unlike what their GM has claimed, the Phoenix franchise will not be the first nor the second team to have maximized Durant’s role.
Kevin Durant is reportedly unhappy with his role
James Jones talking about maximizing Kevin Durant comes in after reports suggest that the latter had been unhappy with his role. After the Minnesota Timberwolves swept the Suns in the first round, The Athletic revealed that Durant was apparently frustrated with the job assigned to him.
According to the sources, the future Hall-Of-Famer didn’t appreciate not having the ball or being pushed to the corner on the number of occasions he had been.
“Meanwhile, Durant, among the best scorers in NBA history, was not always happy with how he was used. Sources briefed on the matter told The Athletic that Durant never felt comfortable with his role in Phoenix’s offense alongside Booker and Beal this season.
“Those sources said Durant had persistent issues with the offense, feeling that he was being relegated to the corner far too often and not having the proper designs to play to his strengths as the offense was built around pick-and-rolls,” the report stated.
KD not being satisfied with his role is only one of many concerns for the Phoenix Suns. According to several other reports, Frank Vogel’s job is in danger. Having already changed coaches last year (replacing Mony Williams at the end of the 2022-2023 season), the Suns changing coaches yet again is not a great sign and will create a sense of uncertainty in the team’s camp.
Despite the issues that the Suns faced all season long, Mat Ishbia shockingly commented about the team being in a “great position”.
Having to pay $194.1 million in salaries for the next season, the Phoenix side’s side front office will be looking for a return on the staggering amount they will be spending. Additionally, fans would hope that the team is able to deal with all the issues during the summer and can be a more cohesive group during the 2024-2025 season.
