Kevin Durant might be the best basketball player on the planet when he’s healthy. There’s no doubt whatsoever that he’s at least in the top 5.
So, of course, it’s natural for people to think the Phoenix Suns are a super team. They added that sort of talent to a combination of two guards who, not only made the All-Star game last season but also both made an All-NBA team.
They also have a former No. 1 pick in Deandre Ayton who has become one of the best defensive centers in the NBA. This team is absolutely stacked. There’s no way around it.
Devin Booker doesn’t think so, though. He even offered up an explanation as to why. Here’s what he had to say when asked whether the Suns were a super-team.
Devin Booker was asked about the Suns being a super-team. With a straight face: “Well, we only had one All-Star, that’s KD.” pic.twitter.com/hblDH9bii6
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) February 23, 2023
“Well, we only had one All-Star this year, that was KD.”
Book, my guy. Come on. This is already funny, but it gets even funnier because you know he’s dead serious. He continued.
“I just don’t do all the titles and stuff. That’s for you guys and everybody else. I know we have really talented people — I think enough to get where we’re trying to go and finish what we’re trying to do. That’s my main focus.”
That’s a perfectly buttoned-up answer to what was a very simple, but also very good, question.
The thing here is people always frown upon the super-team. It’s like stacking the deck against everyone else. People always prefer the narrative of a “home grown” squad against a team that was assembled together like Nick Fury assembled the Avengers. That’s why people loved Kevin Durant’s 2011 Oklahoma City Thunder and hated LeBron James’ Miami Heat.
And I get it, man. The story is cozy. But, hey, man. A super-team is a super-team whether it was drafted or traded for or acquired through free agency. Everyone has the same goal — winning championships and getting paid.
As for Booker and the Suns, I know a super-team when I see one and this is definitely one. Not on the 2017 Warriors level, but definitely somewhere between that 2008 Celtics and 2010 Miami Heat level.
And that’s OK! The Suns did everything within the rules. They’ll have a good shot to win a title because of it.
Embrace that, Book. Don’t shy away from it. Being a super-team is a great thing. Make the most of it.