Kevin Durant roasts Phoenix Suns podcaster for egregious Devin Booker analysis

Kevin Durant is a selfless player and has kept his volume of shots low in order to get Bradley Beal and Booker going on offense.

Kevin Durant roasts Phoenix Suns podcaster for egregious Devin Booker analysis

Kevin Durant

It’s no secret that the Phoenix Suns have been having a catastrophic season. Their 31-36 record at the time of writing and their 11th place standing in the Western Conference is ample proof. Many critics and experts have blamed their lack of defensive cohesion for this disaster. The team’s lack of a viable starting NBA center is a big part of this, as is their lack of a great point-of-attack defender.

Another understated reason for their regression has been the diminished impact of franchise superstar Devin Booker. Booker had displayed an All-NBA level of basketball for 4 seasons before this season. He is currently averaging 25.8 points per game, but his playmaking has seen a step back from previous seasons. His 3-point shooting percentage of 34.8% is also a worrisome trend in the superstar’s career.

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Locked On Suns podcaster Ben Garcia attempted to analyze this surprising drop in Booker’s effectiveness in his latest breakdown. He attributed some of the blame to Kevin Durant in a recent video. However, Durant has taken exception to this piece of analysis, making his feelings known through a tweet roasting Garcia.

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Clown Garcia is funny.

Kevin Durant tweeted with a series of laughing emojis

Given how well Kevin Durant has played on both ends of the floor as the Suns’ lynchpin this year, he has every right to feel offended for this piece of analysis. After all, Durant has been undoubtedly their best player on offense, both as a facilitator and as a scorer. He’s a selfless player and has kept his volume of shots low in order to get Bradley Beal and Booker going on offense.

In truth, the thing that ails Devin Booker is his inability to consistently generate separation from his defenders. Although still at the peak of his physical powers, Booker’s driving tendencies have been defended expertly by most teams the Suns have faced this year.

He is unable to get to the rim with any regularity, and that is a much more reasonable explanation for this phenomenon rather than any malfeasance coming via Durant stepping on his toes.

Can Kevin Durant lead the Phoenix Suns to a playoff berth?

The Suns currently sit 2 wins behind the Dallas Mavericks, who are in free fall with 3 of their best players out injured (Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively). They can secure the 10th place and a play-in berth if they are able to secure 7-8 more wins, with the Mavs unlikely to gain any kind of momentum while fielding only 8 fit players for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

However, they are liable to run into a play-in dogfight against the likes of the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers and/or Minnesota Timberwolves. All three of these teams (currently also in play-in berths) have displayed better form than the Suns and would be fancied over the Suns in a play-in game matchup. The Suns’ trio of Beal, Booker and Durant will have to dig deep and defend teams way better than they’ve shown to be able to in the past 3 months.

Failure to secure a playoff berth would mean Durant missing the playoffs for the first time since his sophomore NBA season with the OKC Thunder. It would likely mean breaking up their trio, put together with much fanfare 20 months ago by trading Chris Paul. The team would also have precious little by means of draft capital in the upcoming years to get out of their self-created hole.