In Phoenix’s victory over the Lakers, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Durant all played with precision, demonstrating the potential of this superteam when everything is working together.
Just as Devin Booker’s first-quarter three-pointer was about to go in, Kevin Durant, who was a few feet away, let out a thunderous roar. Durant gave Booker a message a few hours prior to Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Durant said, “Don’t worry about getting me involved.” I’ll take an active role. You act combative. Following his advice, Booker scored 16 points in the first quarter.
Bradley Beal’s turn came just after Booker’s three. It was a 25-footer at first. Next, a 23-footer from the side angle. Frank Vogel clapped angrily along the Phoenix Suns sideline. Vogel has been pleading with his players to shoot more threes for months. Missed opportunities occupied film sessions. Vogel characterized his club as “a reluctant three-point team with great shooters.”
Vogel remarked, “One victory does not mean we are there.” “However, it was unquestionably a constructive move in the right direction.”
This was the intended outcome, didn’t it? The Suns outplay their opponents offensively and play just enough defense to win the game. In his thirteenth game of the year, Beal scored 37 points. Booker added 31 points. On a calm evening for him, Durant added eighteen. From the field, all three of them shot better than 50%. Beal made 80% of his three-point attempts.
Vogel remarked, “I know he can take ten threes in a game now.” “And I will not let him get away with it.”
How come this isn’t the Suns? Not the 2-5 squad that began the season or began December with nine losses
said an ant. We want to try our best to imitate what we see in movies and on television. It’s not as simple as it seems.
The Suns’ issues are not too hard to figure out. One problem has been injuries. According to NBA.com, the Durant, Booker, and Beal trio had combined for just 127 minutes of action before Thursday night’s game against the Lakers. With a 123.6 offensive rating, the trio is rated. That is excellent. 108.2 is the defense rating. That really is excellent. It makes sense to believe that Phoenix’s Big Three will perform better the longer they collaborate.
According to Durant, “the offensive becomes easier when we communicate with each other and understand where we all need to be on the defensive side of the ball.” Thus,
choice of shots, too. Three of the NBA’s most productive midrange jump shooters are Durant, Beal, and Booker. But outside of the three-point arc, where the Suns (31.5 attempts per game) don’t produce many points, is where NBA success is found.
Booker stated, “I think [threes] should be forced, especially early in games.” Because of our team’s excellent shooters, I believe that even when we shoot a make or miss, people gradually become more comfortable taking midrange shots because they are aware that there are opponents out there with deep spacing who are willing to shoot it. It lets you through the gaps. I believe it’s a good shot for many of us because many of our shooters just work the most points.
It’s been an odd first part of
