PHOENIX — New Suns star Kevin Durant was introduced to Phoenix fans and media in a public press conference at the team’s arena on Thursday afternoon, and Durant was clear from the jump that he hopes to win a championship with the Suns this season.
“I think we got all the pieces to be successful,” Durant said. “We’ve got guys that have experienced what it’s like to play in that final round, we have a champion already that’s overseeing us, Monty Williams is a champion as a coach, so we’ve got guys that’s been there, and that’s half the battle.”
In a Friday edition of the Locked On NBA podcast, hosts Wes Goldberg and Adam Mares discussed Durant’s expectations and whether Phoenix is actually in a prime position to win a championship.
“As you watch them, you realize they’re just so thin, and they are missing key pieces of a traditional championship team,” Mares said. “They’re gonna have a lot of scoring, and they’re gonna be really hard to guard. … (But) to win a title, you probably have to win multiple different ways.”
The Suns lost to the Clippers in their last game before the All-Star break on Thursday night, falling to fifth in the Western Conference standings as Devin Booker and Chris Paul combined for just 24 points on 8-24 shooting.
But Goldberg was more optimistic, believing Durant’s defense could be equally as important as his offense has been. The 7-foot Durant had been one of the better interior defenders in the league this season before going down with an MCL sprain last month.
“If (Durant) is playing like that, I think they can beat you in a few different ways,” Goldberg said. “They can outshoot you, but they can also defend really well too. I think there’s a lot of good, rangy defenders on that team.”
Most analysts and sportsbooks have the Suns in the upper tier of NBA contenders, but until Durant suits up and stays healthy for the Suns, it will be hard to say with certainty what their destiny is in 2023.