Insider Reveals Biggest Question Surrounding Suns

The Suns need to focus on keeping key players healthy, according to ESPN

Sep 30, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) and Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (20) and Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) and Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) and Phoenix Suns guard Tyus Jones (21) pose for a photo during Media Day at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns are sitting at a record of 9-6 nearly 20% into the season following a rough week that was spearheaded by key injuries to a pair of star players.

Despite the 1-4 stretch, the team is still considered a potential contender - at least according to an ESPN roundtable that addressed the most crucial questions about some of the top teams in the NBA.

The Suns' biggest question wasn't totally shocking, but it is one that needs to be discussed.

What's at stake for the superstar players if they can't maintain this hot start?

More from Tim MacMahon on this particular pressing question below:

It's not realistic to expect the Suns to maintain their strong start while Kevin Durant is sidelined with a calf strain, especially if Bradley Beal is also missing games. The Suns' top priority should be figuring out how to position themselves to be in peak form for a deep playoff run. That means managing the minutes of Durant once he returns. A 36-year-old with an extensive injury history can't reasonably average 38.8 minutes per game, as Durant did during the Suns' 8-1 start -- including going 7-0 in clutch games (when the score was within five points with less than five minutes left). The emergence of rookie Ryan Dunn and the presence of Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale gives the Suns some quality depth at forward. They need to take a less-is-more approach with Durant the rest of the regular season -- even at the expense of a win here or there -- to have hope of him starting deep into the spring.

- MacMahon on the Suns' biggest questiond

The simplest truth among what was argued is that Durant playing nearly 39 minutes per contest is simply not sustainable.

Yes, Durant did play 75 games last season, but that seems to be more of an outlier if anything - having already missed 6 and soon to be 7 games thus far.

The countering point is that Ryan Dunn, Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale, and even Josh Okogie have all proven capable of contributing within the context of a team that is wholly together. That should be able to take some burden off of Durant - and Budenholzer is likely to be proactive enough to recognize that.

The Suns should prioritize winning enough games to avoid the play-in, but it feels like going all-in to catch the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top spot in the West seems to be a bit impractical and overly ambitious.

At this stage, the most important thing is to keep the star trio as healthy as possible moving forward, allowing for all three to be available and peaking as players in April compared to in December.

The Suns' roster is good enough to make a playoff run. The offensive system is wholly sustainable. The questions surrounding the frontcourt could be answered if Mason Plumlee continues to play well and Oso Ighodaro's accelerated development is legitimate.

The Suns are much closer to bringing home a first-ever NBA title than the general public would like to admit - now is the time to see it through the proper way.