3 things the Suns can learn from the Thunder-Pacers Finals

Should the Suns be taking notes on what success in the modern NBA looks like?

Every year, NBA teams try to emulate or build their teams similarly to the top dogs of the league. By the time those teams’ visions come to fruition, the league typically has already shifted.

So this is not meant to be a guide on what the Suns should or shouldn’t do, but rather a checklist of things to keep in mind when building their team.

It’s not about emulating the trend in front of us, it’s about becoming the team that others try to emulate. How do we get there?

1. Find the right way to build around your young(ish) star

The Phoenix Suns have Devin Booker. I do not see that changing any time soon. So that begs the question: what is the best way to optimize and build a contender around Book?

Devin Booker is still just 28 years old and has plenty of basketball left in his career. He has led a team to the NBA Finals. He has shown he is capable of being a playoff riser. Recency bias will never change the past.

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

He wasted a good chunk of his early career in Phoenix, only to be rewarded with a stretch of brilliance after that playoff drought. Depending on how this offseason goes, his patience could be tested in the next couple of years.

Indiana built a roster around Tyrese Haliburton in a roundabout way. They already had Myles Turner in place as their anchor, but as time went on, they realized Haliburton was their core piece. Adding Pascal Siakam and drafting/acquiring athletic wings and forwards (Nesmith, Toppin, Mathurin, etc.) while sprinkling in some shooting was clearly the right direction. They installed a culture and identity and fueled it by adding depth and versatility. The perfect storm.

Speaking of “storm”, the Thunder have seen SGA grow into his role as a megastar in OKC. They added youth, athleticism, and more importantly, some absolute dogs in Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein once their young core showed they were ready to make that leap.

Booker is not in that same age demographic, but he is just entering his prime with plenty of runway left in the tank. It is not too late to salvage the next era of Phoenix Suns basketball with Devin Booker.

How? Lean into the things he doesn’t do. Add youth, athleticism, and size around him. Build a team with a defensive identity. Surround him with actual depth.

2. Sometimes the best move is the one you don’t make

Patience is a virtue, which the Suns have seemed to lack in the past several seasons.

Let’s rewind back to when the Indiana Pacers signed Deandre Ayton to a max offer sheet in the summer of 2022. After several years of Myles Turner trade rumors, Indy wanted to make a move that would turn some heads. They haven’t been a spend-happy team historically, but they wanted to make a move for making a move’s sake in this case.

Phoenix quickly matched the offer sheet and retained their big man. Only to deal him in the following season alongside Toumani Camara for Grayson Allen and Jusuf Nurkic. Now, the Suns are stuck with one of the most inconsistent, uninspiring center rotations in the association.

Now, look at where Turner and the Pacers are after his name was constantly in trade rumors. This is one example, and it’s not a perfect one that could be applied to any situation the Suns are currently in, but rather, a philosophy that competent teams live by.

The Suns should not make trades just to make them and cut ties out of convenience. Especially if it means they’re selling players for pennies on the dollar, as we see so many teams do.

The return they get for Kevin Durant will determine the future of this franchise. The Beal situation, to a lesser extent, as well.

3. Team Building Matters

The NBA Draft is crucial for finding cheap pieces and assets that allow you to make moves to improve on the margins.

On June 25th, the Suns will have a chance to kickstart this “retool,” if you want to call it that at this point. Which, I think, you do (call it that) if you keep Devin Booker.

Phoenix holds the 29th and 52nd picks in this year’s draft. That total could increase should a Kevin Durant trade come into fruition as the Suns look to stack on NBA-ready talent and some playable youth.

I do not expect them to draft a project. It will be someone in the mold of their recent picks that brings some upside, but more importantly, an ability to make an impact immediately.

Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

One thing remains true about playoff basketball. If you make it there and get hot at the right time, you can make a deep run. Luck is involved. Chemistry matters. But most importantly, you need to optimize your cornerstone’s surroundings.

The Suns may have one last chance to do that around Devin Booker this summer.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

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