Phoenix Suns’ Exit Presents A Problem for 'The Big 3 Model'

The Phoenix Suns’ “Big Three” of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal had high expectations at the start of the season, with all eyes on their pursuit of a championship. Now, following the team’s early exit, questions have risen over how sustainable the “Big Three” formula is.

Phoenix Suns’ Exit Presents A Problem for “The Big 3 Model”

The model was being implemented and was already evident the moment the Phoenix Suns acquired Beal. Durant was the perfect superstar to be involved with this model. He experienced it firsthand when he got to play with Kyrie Irving and James Harden for the Brooklyn Nets from 2021 to 2022. The trio went 13-3 and provided the league with a playbook for how superteams can be built. Unforeseen losses caused the Brooklyn trio superstars to go their separate ways. Then, the Suns hopped on the bandwagon with Durant on their side.

Suns’ “Big 3” vs the Others

When the Miami Heat “Big Three” was strategized, it was undebatable that it was securing three Top 15 players in the NBA. The Golden State Warriors elites was a class on its own due to their top-3 players getting paired with two supporting pieces. As for the Phoenix Suns‚ you could claim that they had two top-10 players. But‚ given how close the talent level is between each player in the top 15, it doesn’t carry any weight today than it did in the past years.

The Suns ended their season-long “Big Three” blueprint in a first-round loss to the Timberwolves. In the face of it all, there is more to the Suns’ failure than any of the players’ poor run.

Their bench had a top-three defense compared to other teams. Where they struggled was their play on the offensive end of the floor. They could not generate any form of scoring from their supporting players. This, in turn‚ spelled their downfall, even in their playoff games.

The Disappointing Run in the Playoffs

The Suns’ trio got locked up by Timberwolves snarl. They needed as much input as they could get from their roster. It could not be realized, as Grayson Allen couldn’t get going for long. This was in addition to Eric Gordon struggling to hit open shots to provide added layup for their offensive gameplay.

The Phoenix Suns suffered on this talent boom and lacked instances when they could charge past teams using their best offensive firepower. The expectation that comes with a “Big Three” was not to be. It was neutered by Timberwolves’ defense play. It boiled down to the Suns needing to put in the work. Even then, it was not enough to get them to steal one game during the playoffs.

The “Big 3” Lack Of Guarantees

The days of fast tracking are overdue. The “Big Three” model is no longer a sustainable lottery ticket to a NBA championship. Instead, the teams should go about starting to look into a new effective model which makes sense for their playbook, one they have been ignoring in the last few years.