DENVER — There were more than a few skeptics last summer when the Phoenix Suns negotiated Deandre Ayton For Jusuf Nurkic as part of the agreement concluded Damien Lillard with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Ayton is probably the more talented of the two, being younger and more athletic. But Nurkić was thought to be a better fit for what the Suns wanted to be when the playoffs rolled around. Specifically, he changed the Suns’ style and plugged some of the physical leaks they experienced last playoffs in a second-round loss to the Suns. Denver Nuggets.
Phoenix has made more high-profile changes, notably with the acquisition of Bradley Beal of Wizards of Washington. But, around Kevin Durantaround Devin Bookerthe Suns wanted to be a bigger team, and they wanted to be a team that could better stand up to the bullies of the Western Conference, headlined by the defending champion Nuggets.
Meanwhile, a 117-107 overtime victory against the Nuggets at Ball Arena is important for Phoenix. In the tight Western Conference, it’s a new victory in their pocket which allows the Suns to remain in sixth place, which would allow them to avoid the Play-In. This helps the Suns overcome the bad taste of back-to-back losses to the Houston Rockets And Oklahoma City Thunder, which Phoenix thought were winnable games. And any win without Booker in the lineup is a good win.
But overall, Tuesday night provided a glimpse into the Suns’ vision when they made the deal for Nurkić. This is a different Phoenix team than the one the Nuggets knocked out of the playoffs last season in six games. It’s a bigger team, but a tougher team, a deeper team and a more experienced team. The frantic race of the regular season, especially in this era of NBA basketball, has caused difficulties for many veteran teams. That and the depth of the Western Conference are why Phoenix is a good week away from contending for fourth place or a bad week away from being in ninth or 10th place. What was evident against the Nuggets is that the Suns are built for the playoffs, and built for when the transition from the regular season slows down and speeds up to the half-court style of the playoffs.
“We’re definitely different,” Durant said. “The addition of Beal, Grayson and Nurk makes us a different team than last year. But having more experience as a unit also helps a lot. Last year we found ourselves pretty quickly and we were playing against a well-oiled machine. We have nothing but respect for Denver. They challenge us in a way that other teams don’t, so it was good to fight tonight.
“We missed a lot of shots, we turned the ball over. But I like how we stuck with it. It felt good to win this one.
Nurkić’s vision lies in his ability to be one of the few people on Earth who can give Nikola Jokic moments of break. Nurkić doesn’t stop Jokić, mind you. No one in the league is. But Nurkić can eat defensively against Jokić. Nurkić forces Jokić to make the second and third individual moves in order to get buckets. Nurkić doesn’t let himself be intimidated in the paint, something Jokić does regularly. the Los Angeles Lakers center of stars Anthony Davis. Nurkić’s abilities allow the Suns to stay away from the rest of Denver’s shooting army.
Last playoffs, Phoenix didn’t have that kind of luxury. Defensively, Ayton did not play Jokić well. Jokić had no moment of pause. But offensively, Nurkić has become a formidable passer and passer of the ball, especially on short throws. Thus, it becomes much more difficult to blitz pick and rolls in hopes of corralling Durant, Booker, or Beal, as Nurkić has become very good at playing advantageous basketball as a roll man.
Adding these attributes on both ends of the court marks the Suns as a team that can make the playoffs. Having shooters, and Phoenix has a ton, is one thing. But having more robustness and more response in the paint is another. To win a round in the West, let alone win the West as a whole, the Suns know they’re going to have to be as complete as possible. That’s one of the reasons they’ve been shuffling the roster, trying to find the right combination. Nurkić, Beal and Allen were offseason adjustments. Wing 3 and D Royce O’Neale became a mid-season adjustment.
“We had to respond after the last two games,” Suns head coach Frank Vogel said. “We know we didn’t play our best. And we knew we had to play a game that, frankly, we weren’t struggling in. We needed to be more intentional and purposeful with our passing. So it’s a nice rebound victory for us.
“But overall, this is the one we needed.”
Tuesday’s win became one of those potential season-changers for Phoenix. It also highlights the volatility of what the regular season has become in the Western Conference. Two losses ago, the Suns were below the Mendoza Play-In line. Two losses ago, questions about their playoff viability were widespread. For the most part, despite the win over Denver, we still don’t really know who this Phoenix Suns team is. They only played 23 games with their big three of Durant, Booker and Beal in the lineup. So, for the most part, the Suns haven’t been whole this season.
But a road win against Denver shows the bright side. At its best, Phoenix is a team capable of playing stingy defense, while also being one of the most offensively talented teams in the league. Typically, these attributes are what lead a team to stay in the playoffs. But the obstacles are there. The Western Conference is full of teams equipped to stay in the playoffs. And the Suns still have to survive the rest of the regular season, and do so with one of the toughest schedules left.
On Tuesday, that wasn’t a thought in an optimistic locker room. The goal was more to get a big win, especially against the team that caused their playoff demise less than a year ago.
“It’s probably the toughest environment in the league right now,” Durant said. “I’m just happy we’re up for the challenge.” Everyone knew it would be difficult, but we stuck to our game plan. Last year was last year. These guys are the champions, so we respect them at the highest level. We were really focused on getting off the slide we were on.
(Photo by Nikola Jokić and Jusuf Nurkic: AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
