Two Suns Projected to Make All-NBA Team
PHOENIX -- The end of the regular season is fast approaching - and the Phoenix Suns are in position to potentially make noise in the 2024 playoffs.
The Suns must wrap up the final 24 games of the regular season before playoff discussions can really kick in, and the duo of superstars in Phoenix have much personally riding on the closing stretch themselves.
CBS Sports' Brad Botkin released an official prediction of what the 15-man All-NBA team will look like - and Devin Booker checked in as a second team selection, while Kevin Durant earned first team honors.
Botkin made the case for the latter being first team:
"Kevin Durant's season is flying under the radar and, unlike the first four guys listed, he's by no means a lock for a first-team slot (Jayson Tatum and Kawhi Leonard feel like coin flips for this spot). But look at KD's numbers: 28 PPG on 53% shooting and over 42% from 3 on one of the toughest shot diets in the league. Durant has to take more one on one contested shots than just about any other superstar, and it doesn't even faze him. He's also playing spirited defense, both on ball with his versatility and as one of the most impactful help defenders/rim protectors in the league."
Durant would join the perceived "locks" in Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic - this would be his seventh selection to the first team which would be among one of the highest totals ever.
Botkin had a hot take when it came to Booker as well:
"This isn't going to be a popular stance to take, but Devin Booker is both better than Tatum and having a better season than Tatum. Booker averages more points, more assists, more free throws attempted and made, and he registers better shooting percentages across the board while being just as competitive a defender. The difference is Tatum is Boston's best player and Booker is Phoenix's second-best player, and the Suns have been pretty inconsistent. These narratives do matter. To the latter point, Booker might well fall to third team. Haliburton and Curry are candidates to replace him here."
Booker and Tatum are frequently grouped together in basketball discourse conversations, but the consensus still tends to prefer Tatum nonetheless.
Botkin's acknowledgment of winning bias in postseason awards is very valid as well - and the record the Suns finish with could very well dictate which team Booker eventually lands on.
The Suns have possibly two of the ten best players in the league this season. This gives the franchise a chance against just about anyone, though the duo of Suns' stars must finish out the season strong to instill hope in the playoffs and play the minimum amount of games to qualify for All-NBA consideration.
