PHOENIX — For a team that was swept from the first round of last season’s playoffs, the Suns entered this season with more local optimism than one might expect. Some of this stemmed from the surprise signing of Tyus Jones, a steady point guard who appeared to be exactly what the team needed.
But the good vibes also stemmed from Paris, where Kevin Durant and Devin Booker starred in the Summer Olympics, helping Team USA win gold. Durant’s magical moment came in the first half against Serbia, his first game after missing time with a calf injury. Rusty? Durant hit his first eight shots.
“Yeah, there are some guys, we joke they just roll out of bed and they make shots and score 20 or 30,’’ Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said when asked about this recently. “Just God-given talent. … He’s a committed professional. But there’s also just a feel that Kevin has that’s rare and unique and it was on display that day. It’s kind of mind-boggling.”
Then there was Booker, a scorer turned role player, praised for his defense. At Suns Media Day, Booker said he realized that this had been the greatest summer of his career. In an interview with team broadcasters, he said he and his Team USA teammates have kept in touch since the Olympics through a group text. What they did in Paris created a bond that will last a lifetime.
Along with Durant, Booker wanted to use it as a springboard into this NBA season.
In his first year with the Suns, Budenholzer does not find this far-fetched. He said Team USA was super connected in Paris. They played the right way. They found ways to win close games.
“They were doing everything they could to win a gold medal, and that’s how we want to play,’’ Budenholzer said. “We want to do whatever it takes to win games. I think it was the perfect buildup to kind of show the identity, the culture we’re trying to build here.”
(On a related note, in 2008, Dallas coach Jason Kidd played on Team USA, an Olympic team that featured a young LeBron James, Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony, so his job on that squad was more as a mentor than a major contributor. But Kidd agreed that the Olympic competition and spirit can transfer to the NBA regular season. “The confidence that you can get from being around that, and absorbing that type of atmosphere is something you try to bring back to your club,’’ he said before Saturday’s game. “You can definitely use that in a positive way.”)
It’s taken a few games, but Phoenix took an initial step in this regard in Saturday night’s 114-102 win over Luka Don and the Mavericks at Footprint Center. Durant scored 31 and Booker added 21, but the Suns prevailed with a grit and steadiness that had escaped them Friday night, a game in which they blew a 22-point lead and lost to the Lakers.
Kevin Durant surpasses 29,000 career points with this 3, becoming just the 8th player in NBA history to reach the mark! 👏 pic.twitter.com/e6qT9O0Wo2
— NBA (@NBA) October 27, 2024
It says something that on a night when Durant scored his 29,000th career point, a hustle play from a role player provided the game’s biggest reaction. With Bradley Beal out with right elbow soreness, Budenholzer could have started Royce O’Neale and had him guard Don. Instead, he started rookie Ryan Dunn and assigned him to Don. (Welcome to the league, kid.) O’Neale came off the bench.
Like Jones, O’Neale is perfect for the Suns. He’s low-maintenance, fitting in wherever needed. O’Neale can defend (he also spent time on Don, who scored 40 on difficult 12-of-25 shooting.) He has a nice shooting touch. Most of all, he hustles.
ROYCE WITH THE CHASEDOWN BLOCK 😱 pic.twitter.com/zgqm9QNFWO
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 27, 2024
In the final seconds of the third quarter, O’Neale scored over two Dallas defenders at the rim. The veteran forward then raced downcourt and blocked Dallas guard Jaden Hardy in the lane as time expired. The Suns bench exploded. The crowd erupted. Phoenix had given up double-digit leads in its first two contests. This time it entered the fourth quarter with a 91-80 advantage and it suddenly seemed secure.
O’Neale’s explanation: “I never gave up on the play.”
Durant called O’Neale’s effort incredible. Booker called it crazy.
“That play, coaches around the country and world can show that type of effort to their team,” Durant said.
“That’s the s— that carries over to everybody else in the locker room,” Booker said.
“Those are the plays we want to be about,” Budenholzer said.
Durant, who turned 36 last month, is off to his usual start. He scored 25 and 30 to start the season against the Lakers and Clippers. On Saturday, he made just 10 of 21 but still found a way to hit big shots. With a second-half 3, Durant became the eighth player in NBA history to reach 29,000 career points. (Big man Mason Plumlee, acquired over the offseason, was asked recently if there’s anything he’s learned about Durant as a teammate. His answer: “Sometimes when you play against a guy you just wonder like: Is he just hitting those shots tonight? And from preseason pickup to training camp, it’s like he hits them all … the … time.”)
Pretty much, yes.
Ryan Dunn celebrates a dunk against Luka Dončić. (Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)
Booker didn’t shoot well from the floor but made 11 of 12 from the foul line and played strong defense. Jusuf Nurkic rebounded from a dreadful performance Friday night and contributed 18 points and 14 rebounds. Dunn scored 13 points and got his first taste of defending the fading and deliberate Don. After committing one of five fouls, the rookie shouted at the Phoenix bench, according to Nurkic, “You can’t even play hard!”
This is what it will take from Phoenix. Contributions from outside the “Big Three” of Durant, Booker and Beal. A chase-down block. A steadiness when playing with a lead. A bond that connected teams build one step at a time.
(Top photo of Luka Don guarding Kevin Durant: Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)
