Brendon Kleen and Ben Garcia here, the hosts of the daily Locked On Suns podcast, with your daily Locked On Suns newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Suns and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
Can the Suns Manage KD Without ‘Load-Managing’ KD?
Oct 28, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) against the Los Angeles Lakers at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images|Mark J. Rebilas/Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Phoenix Suns fans may not agree on much, but it was obvious to just about everyone that Kevin Durant was doing too much before his injury.
Playing more than 38 minutes per game, handling the most touches per game of any Suns player, controlling the entire clutch time offense, and locking down on defense inside and out — Durant was doing it all.
And while you can’t pin the left calf strain he’s nursing now directly to that intensified role, the Suns need to find ways to tone it down when he returns, which could be as soon as next Tuesday at home against the Lakers.
That’s not in question. The question is how.
Durant’s usage rate is never going to be all that high, and his time of possession is low. He does the most with the least of almost any player in NBA history. You may want him in among the trees less, but Durant’s drives per game are almost identical to last season, when he had a mostly clean bill of health all year long. Asking him to do less on defense is a shortcut to having a worse defense.
So what gives?
On today’s episodes, we debate all the options.
Could the Suns play Durant almost entirely off-ball until crunch time so save his body? Might they keep playing bigger, as they have with him out, to limit what he has to do defensively and as a rebounder? Or could they even ask him to rest throughout the season, particularly in back-to-backs?
All of that sounds crazy to anyone who has heard Durant preach the gospel of hoop over his entire career. This is the man who routinely played 38, 39 minutes a night early in his career in OKC. Willingly sitting out games? Come on.
Perhaps the best solution is that Devin Booker is out of his early-season slump, Grayson Allen is fully back, and the Suns’ depth is real. Durant may be able to do less simply because he won’t have to do so much.
The streak had to end sometime. Even the 2015-2016 Warriors only (“only”) got to 24 wins to start their season. Ironically, they’d go on to lose the title to the Cavs that season.
That Cleveland lost to the Celtics, in TD Garden, without Isaac Okoro and with Darius Garland shooting 3-21 — well only the first half of that stings. If Garland made two more of those field goals the Cavs would’ve taken the game, and Okoro, out with an ankle sprain, will be back.
This game was a tester for the Cavs. Beyond a match against the defending champs and a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview, it was an opportunity to see how the team responded to pressure, unfavourable conditions and expectation. NBA basketball is about winning, we all know this refrain well, but that the Cavs scoring dried up in crucial stretches while the team also fell into bad habits of turning the ball over in momentum-leeching moments, and they still managed multiple runs to come back within two, speaks pretty well to this group’s ability to respond.
What makes the Celtics so good, and a bit like a dream-crushing machine, is their ability to capitalize on and invert what usually brings their opponents wins. In the Cavs case, it’s their speed. Not just pure speed without aim, but their ability to push the pace within their offensive possessions because not one player tends to move in isolation from anyone else. Their lightning quick passing, their flashing cuts and counter-cuts, it’s all predicated on ball movement capitalizing on intuitive communication. A sixth sense of understanding where their teammates are on the floor at any given moment.
Boston was able to jam that up. Not entirely upend it, but chase with pace of their own enough that Garland at times appeared to be the pursued and not the pursuer. Where Garland rushed an offensive possession, where he went in for a fastbreak ISO drive to wrest the pace of the game back into his team’s hands, he bungled it. He’d botch an easy layup and go careening past the baseline, having to expend more energy to get back down the floor in the transition already underway. And the more he botched it, the faster he went. The Celtics saw this and upped the pressure on him, taking advantage of forced turnovers by draining three after three and all but eliminating a huge component of what’s made the Cavs so formidable — their rebounding.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Home and Away
Preview The Suns host the Knicks tonight at Footprint Center. Read the preview. (NBA.com)
Analysis How the Cavaliers’ offseason plan has turned them into the top team in the league so far this year. (ESPN)
Milestone Russell Westbrook becomes the first player in NBA history to record 200 triple-doubles. (CBS Sports)
Must Read The NBA’s three-point revolution has gotten extreme, begging the question: How many is too many?(The Washington Post)
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Can Dalton Knecht Keep Up This Run?
Nov 19, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) react after scoring a three point basket against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images|Gary A. Vasquez/Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Dalton Knecht has recently become a focal point in NBA fantasy discussions, thanks to his electrifying performances on the court. In a standout game, Knecht scored 37 points, including nine three-pointers, with an impressive 75% shooting accuracy. This remarkable display has fantasy managers buzzing, as Knecht’s shooting streak positions him as a valuable asset in leagues.
Knecht’s Shooting Streak: A Fantasy Goldmine
Over the past four games, Knecht has been on a tear, shooting 22 of 33 from beyond the arc, equating to a 67% success rate. Such efficiency is rare and highlights his potential as a sharpshooter. For fantasy managers, Knecht is a must-add player, especially given his current role in the Lakers’ starting lineup. However, while his shooting spree is impressive, it’s important to manage expectations, as maintaining such a high percentage is challenging over the long term.
Injury Updates and Their Impact on Fantasy Rosters
Knecht’s rise comes at a time when injuries are shaking up NBA rosters. Norman Powell’s hamstring injury, for instance, has left a gap in the Clippers’ lineup. With Powell likely sidelined for at least a week, players like Kris Dunn and Amir Coffey might see increased roles, offering potential value for fantasy managers seeking replacements.
Click the button below to get updates on Zach Edey’s ankle injury, and how Bradley Beal’s calf continues to cause problems for fantasy managers
Don’t let these episodes pass you by — stay locked in with the latest Locked On Suns podcasts.
Phoenix Suns No-Show 5th Straight Loss To Knicks, Is the Issue Bigger Than Injuries?
The Phoenix Suns gave up a season-worst 138 points and looked lifeless for much of their fifth straight loss to the New York Knicks. Brendon Kleen and Ben Garcia break down the loss, including how much blame Devin Booker deserves and why the defense was so ugly just days after several solid performances.
The Kevin Durant Balancing Act Plus Are the Phoenix Suns Any Closer To An Answer At Center?
As the Phoenix Suns await the return of Kevin Durant, are there ways to balance his workload while still winning and building chemistry? Brendon Kleen and Ben Garcia debate KD’s minutes and role before diving into three-headed monster at center and whether the Suns are any closer to addressing that weakness. To close, a preview of Suns-Knicks on Wednesday night.
Phoenix Suns Outmatched By Orlando Magic As Devin Booker Gets Bottled Up Again
The Phoenix Suns lost a third straight game to a tough defensive Orlando Magic team as Devin Booker went quiet once again. Brendon Kleen and Ben Garcia react to another Suns L, including why Booker struggled, why they lost, and how they could have overcome Orlando.
