The Phoenix Suns are fighting to avoid the play-in tournament, and they’re currently in eighth place in the Western Conference and are half a game behind the sixth-place Sacramento Kings.
They suffered a troubling loss on Monday to the last-place San Antonio Spurs, who were without rookie phenomenon Victor Wembanyama, 104-102, despite leading by nine points in the third quarter.
Kevin Durant, who shot 12-of-17 and scored 29 points, looked to show some leadership by letting his teammates know what they need to do the rest of the season, per Duane Rankin.
“We know what needs to be done. Conversation is cool, communication is cool, letting everybody know what we need to do out there, but you still got to put our bodies in action to do it. It’s a difference between going to do something and just talking about it,” Durant said.
“We know what needs to be done. Conversation is cool, communication is cool, letting everybody know what we need to do out there, but you still got to put our bodies in action to do it. It’s a difference between going to do something and just talking about it.” Kevin Durant #Suns pic.twitter.com/sFILkkVlaI
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) March 26, 2024
When this season started, some were picking Phoenix to reach the NBA Finals or even win the world championship because of their star trio consisting of Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.
While Beal and Booker have missed significant stretches of action, the team has ultimately underachieved, especially on the defensive end, where they rank a mediocre 13th in defensive rating.
They hired head coach Frank Vogel, a noted defensive guru, last summer, hoping he would turn them into an elite defensive team.
There is a tremendous amount of pressure on the Suns to win it all very soon, given the fact that they traded away a combined nine future first-round draft picks to get Durant and Beal.
With virtually no draft capital, this team could be regarded the way Durant’s Brooklyn Nets are regarded today — a failed superteam experiment — if it doesn’t claim a Larry O’Brien Trophy.
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Kevin Durant Shares His Honest Thoughts On Loss To Spurs