Suns Rumors & Playoffs: Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton
In this week’s episode of The Fast Break Podcast, Fastbreak on FanNation NBA insider and reporter Brett Siegel is joined by Gerald Bourguet from PHNX Sports to discuss all things relating to the Phoenix Suns, who are preparing for their first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers.
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Suns-Clippers First-Round Series Preview [3:35]
The 4-seeded Phoenix Suns will host the 5-seeded Los Angeles Clippers in the first-round of the Western Conference Playoffs beginning on Sunday, April 16 in Phoenix.
Despite losing two straight games entering the postseason, Phoenix had won their previous seven games and they have still yet to lose when Kevin Durant is on the floor. However, the Clippers are no small task for the Suns to get past, as Kawhi Leonard and Co. still have high title aspirations despite their own internal struggles this season.
Brett and Gerald previewed this first-round series and talked about how the Suns may have the upper-hand heading into Game 1. [4:01]
Siegel: The Clippers and Suns met four times this season. The first two games were prior to the trade deadline, Phoenix was without Kevin Durant in the third game and the fourth meeting was on the final day of the regular season, as both teams benched their starters. We have really yet to see Phoenix vs. Los Angeles at full-strength, which is why this is a very intriguing matchup for me.
Bourguet: In terms of advantages, I think you look at the Clippers and yes, they have an advantage when it comes to overall depth, but when you look at the five-best players in this series, four of them are on the Suns’ roster. Even if Kawhi Leonard outplays Kevin Durant or it’s a wash, the Clippers still don’t have an answer for Devin Booker. The adjustments Tyronn Lue makes will be vital and critical for how this series plays out and he is a very good coach when it comes to making said adjustments. It is hard to predict, but just from a talent perspective, the Suns have the early advantage in this series.
Who Will Step Up Off Of Phoenix’s Bench? [7:20]
They may have one of the best starting units in the entire NBA, but the Suns’ bench has been lackluster at times and they have struggled being consistent difference-makers.
In this series against the Clippers, Phoenix must find ways to incorporate others from their second unit and Gerald outlined two main players who will be in the team’s playoff rotation and could be the ultimate X-factors for Phoenix.
Bourguet [8:06]: “Monty [Williams] has been very experimental with his bench unit to end the season. He’s been trying to get as many different lineups as he possibly can, especially during that period when KD was out… At this point, the only two players I can tell you will for sure be in the playoff rotation are Cam Payne and Torrey Craig. Cam Payne obviously since he is the back-up point guard and Torrey Craig because he’s filled in as a starter for the majority of this season. Torrey has had to take on a bigger load this year with all of the guys the Suns had missing and he shot basically 40 percent from three, a career-high for him. Outside of Payne and Craig, it is tough to say who could crack the rotation. Terrence Ross is a guy they promised a good role to and TJ Warren is another guy who we could see fill some minutes on the wing.”
Deandre Ayton’s Role Change & Playoff Impact [12:18]
When the Phoenix Suns went to the NBA Finals in 2021, Deandre Ayton was a major force offensively in the paint, as well as on both ends of the floor as a rebounder.
With the arrival of Kevin Durant, Ayton’s production has taken a step back, but he still holds a key role for the Suns and will have to continue to elevate his play in order for this team to have a chance at winning a title.
Gerald talked about how Ayton’s role has shifted recently and why the production we have seen from him is good enough for this team to contend for a title.
Bourguet [13:07]: “What we have seen from Ayton’s role so far is that less is more in terms of doing all the little things. When you see Deandre Ayton running in transition, crashing the offensive glass setting good screens, rolling to the rum with the intention of scoring and being the anchor on the defensive-side of things, those are the things that elevate the Suns to a higher level much more than just getting post touches or elbow touches for a mid-range shot. I think it is one of those situations where he’s accepted that his offensive role has changed and I think last year, we heard him say that he wanted to do more and that was before his max contract. After getting paid, he now has an opportunity to compete for a title. Obviously every player wants to hold a big role in the grand scheme of things, but Ayton understands he needs to sacrifice for this team to reach their peak potential.”
Could Kevin Durant Wind Up Playing Some Minutes At Center For Phoenix? [16:23]
Kevin Durant truly is a “positionless” basketball player in the sense that he can go up against any type of defender and he can defend any of the other five opposing players on the floor with him. Such a unique talent with extraordinary length, Durant has made quite the impact over the years as a defender and he is one of the more underrated rim-protectors in the entire NBA.
Should the Clippers look to take center Ivica Zubac out of the game and go with a “small-ball” rotation, the Suns could be forced to match by taking Deandre Ayton out of the game, resulting in Kevin Durant seeing some time at the center position.
Siegel: The Clippers tend to go small at times when Zubac is not in the game and while they traded for Mason Plumlee at the trade deadline, I still envision them trying to get small to see if Phoenix takes Deandre Ayton out of the game. In this scenario, we could see Kevin Durant get minutes at the center spot. Obviously they will stick with Ayton as long as possible, but it is not hard to believe they will have Durant as their only “big guy” on the floor in certain rotations, especially when they look to get their perimeter game going.
Bourguet: It’s truly a great question to think about. The Clippers always have that option of going small and Tyronn Lue is going to throw different situations at the Suns to see how Monty Williams reacts. To start, I think the Suns will keep Ayton on the floor when Los Angeles goes small because historically, Ayton has played really well against smaller lineups and he can move in transition for a big man. If for whatever reason Ayton is not there and is not playing well against a smaller lineup, I do think we could see Durant at the five. Monty Williams has talked about this and we haven’t seen it very often because they really have not played any good teams when Durant has been healthy. In the playoffs, I definitely think we will see some rotations with Kevin Durant at the center spot, but that will be a last-resort idea behind keeping Deandre Ayton out there.
