Many people had high expectations for the Phoenix Suns’ chances of winning the NBA championship this season after they acquired Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal in recent months through trades.
Nevertheless, they haven’t been playing at their best and have a miserable 3–4 start to the season.
Booker has played in just two of the Suns’ seven games, and Beal is yet to make his regular-season debut with the team after he arrived in a trade during the summer.
Head coach Frank Vogel said Beal is currently listed as questionable due to a bad back, while star guard Devin Booker will not play on Wednesday versus the Chicago Bulls because of a calf injury, per Duane Rankin.
Without Beal and Booker, Durant has often had to go at it alone, and while he is playing well — he’s averaging 29.9 points a game on 52.1 percent shooting — it simply hasn’t been enough.
Phoenix lost a close contest to the Golden State Warriors to start the season, and two nights later, they blew a sizable late lead and fell to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Last Tuesday, they gave up another big lead in the fourth quarter and lost, this time to Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
When the Suns are at full strength, they’re expected to be a force to be reckoned with, but some are concerned about their lack of frontcourt depth and possibly their defense.
Vogel is a defensive-minded coach, but the team has a lack of quality defenders, especially on the perimeter, and they won’t be able to win games in the 130s all the time.
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