Getty Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant
After the moves they made in the offseason, the Phoenix Suns received some skepticism for touting Devin Booker and Bradley Beal as their primary point guards. Because the season did not start out as they would have liked, there has been an outcry to bring in a more natural point guard.
However, Phoenix doesn’t see it that way. Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes explained why they have no interest in adding a point guard to its current point guard.
“(The Suns) don’t feel like they need a point guard,” Haynes said on January 12. “Devin Booker’s primarily their ball handler, but they’re pretty much doing it by committee. When you talk about Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal. So…they feel like if they bring on another ballhandler, they feel like it’s going to take the ball out of the hands of their best players.”
Haynes elaborated on why Phoenix believes getting a point guard would get in the way of their goals.
“They feel like in order for them to reach their full potential, those players need to have the ball and make plays. So they don’t necessarily see it as a must that they go out there and get a floor general.”
The Suns have finally gotten healthy with three months left in the regular season. As long as they don’t have anymore injuries, they should get to see their vision through.
Suns Interested in PJ Tucker Reunion: Insider
On January 10, The Action Network’s Matt Moore reported that the Suns are among the teams with interest in PJ Tucker, but not via trade.
“The Nuggets, 76ers, and Suns are among the interested teams, but likely only if he’s bought out,” Moore wrote.
Moore also explained the tough situation Tucker is in with his current team, the Los Angeles Clippers.
“The P.J. Tucker situation with the Clippers, where the veteran is out of the rotation, is sticky. He would prefer a new home where he can contribute, but the only teams interested are direct competitors for the NBA title. The Clippers don’t want to play him, but they don’t want to play against him in a big game environment, either.”
Tucker played for Phoenix from 2012 to 2017. The Suns never made the playoffs with Tucker, but he has championship experience and has played with Booker before.
Kevin Durant Shouts Out Bradley Beal
After the Suns beat the Los Angeles Lakers on January 11, Kevin Durant shouted out Bradley Beal’s impact on the team.
“It’s been fun being around Brad and seeing his mentality and his IQ for the game,” Durant told reporters. “When you’re around teams that don’t have successful post-season runs like he was a part of the past few years, people tend to question your IQ and intelligence for the game. But when you’re around Brad, he sees and knows everything. He hears everything out on the floor. That is always good to have when you have another guy that can just kind of survey the game the way he surveys it.”
Durant, Beal, and Booker have played in six games together. In those six games, the Suns have a net rating of plus-23.5, per NBA.com. When those three share the floor, Phoenix has a very good squad. The issue of whether they can stay on the floor remains in question.