After defeating the Golden State Warriors on opening night, the Phoenix Suns suffered a difficult loss on Thursday when they blew a double-digit fourth-quarter lead and fell to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Many have pegged the Suns as championship contenders and perhaps even the favorites to reach the NBA Finals because they have gone out and traded for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal over the last several months.
With Durant, Beal, and Devin Booker, they have as much star power as any team, but Beal hasn’t played yet this season and Booker was out on Thursday.
Per Shams Charania, both are listed as doubtful for Saturday’s home opener versus the Utah Jazz.Suns star Bradley Beal (back) will miss Saturday’s home opener vs. Jazz and Devin Booker (foot) is expected to be doubtful to play for second straight game.
On Tuesday, Booker was instrumental with 32 points, eight assists, and six rebounds, and down the stretch, he repelled the Warriors’ attempts to steal the game by finding open teammates.
The Suns don’t have a real point guard or floor general, but head coach Frank Vogel seems confident with having Beal and Booker acting as facilitators.
Booker is one of the game’s best one-on-one players and one of its most explosive scorers, but he also averaged 5.5 assists a game last season, while Beal dropped 6.6 dimes per game last year.
Another concern for Phoenix is its depth, or lack thereof, but perhaps they’re finding some serviceable young players off their bench in Josh Okogie, Yuta Watanabe, and Grayson Allen.
That depth will be a huge key to their chances of winning the NBA title, something they have never done, this season.