Suns Not Worried About 'Hierarchy' Upon Kevin Durant Arrival
While teams of the past have imploded due to power hungry players, the Phoenix Suns are determined to try and avoid that at all costs.
Following the Kevin Durant trade to Phoenix, some may suggest that pairing guys like Durant with Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton could lead to a power struggle. Booker assured fans that would not be the case for this loaded Suns’ roster.
"We don't have no hierarchy," Booker said. "That's the thing about it. You have Chris Paul, one of the greatest leaders of all time. You have coach Monty [Williams], you have [general manager] James Jones. We have guys that are all on the same plan — I think we all have different type of leading styles, which is the great thing about leadership is it comes in many different forms. And I think all of our games, and our mindsets, complement each other very well."
The Suns’ trip to the NBA Finals back in 2021 made Booker realize that it is about winning championships.
"Once you get a taste of Finals experience and having that under your belt, that's all that you want," Booker said. "We have one goal; we know it's not going to be easy to get there, but we feel we have the talent, we have the mindset and everything it takes right here in this gym."
By adding a generational talent like Durant, Phoenix truly does have the opportunity to accomplish something special this year. However, looking like a great team on paper is a completely different thing to translate on the court.
There is no question that the Suns are stacked to the brim with top-tier talent, but they need to find a way to work together if they are to go anywhere. All the great super teams that have won championships had to make a ton of sacrifices.
When Dwyane Wade took a backseat for LeBron James with the Miami Heat, they ended up winning two NBA titles. When Steph Curry and Durant learned to share the ball with one another in Golden State, they also won two championships.
Throughout Booker’s eight years in the NBA, he has always been the number one option. Durant is one of the best scorers the world has ever seen and Booker must understand that in order to be successful, Durant needs to be another focal point of the Suns’ offense.
It is also Durant who will have to realize that he can trust Booker and may need to defer to him when needed, too.
It will take some time for Phoenix (specifically Booker and Durant) to get adjusted to playing alongside each other but if the Suns have learned anything from history and are willing to make sacrifices for the greater good, they will go on to do great things.
