The Phoenix Suns are ready to finally debut their star-studded lineup involving Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. With Booker set to return on Wednesday, it will be interesting to see how Frank Vogel adjusts his starting lineup.
Booker was sidelined for five games with a calf strain, while Beal has also missed time dealing with back spasms.
Wednesday will be the first time the two All-Stars share the floor in Suns uniforms. Booker is set to return to the lineup per the reports of the Duane Ranking of the Arizona Republic.
They, of course, will start alongside Suns leading scorer Kevin Durant, who has put the team on his back through the early portion of the season. So what do the Suns’ starting lineup and depth chart look like with their stars healthy and ready to feature in the starting lineup?
Phoenix Suns Depth Chart:
PG: Devin Booker, Eric Gordon, Jordan Goodwin, Saben Lee
SG: Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen
SF: Keita Bates-Diop, Josh Okogie, Nassir Little
PF: Kevin Durant, Yuta Watanabe, Bol Bol
Jusuf Nurkic, Drew Eubanks, Chimezie Metu, Udoka Azubuike
Phoenix Suns' Big 3 set to make regular season debut as Devin Booker expected to return Wednesday vs. Minnesota Timberwolves from right calf strain that's sidelined him last five games, sources say #Suns https://t.co/YsGCfsCgV1 via @azcentral
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 14, 2023
The Suns lineup is very versatile but lacks depth in their frontcourt. Therefore, many of their wings rotate and play bigger than they usually would. Durant at four in the starting lineup is one example of it.
Positions, however, are less significant in today’s NBA. This will be amplified when Durant, Beal, and Booker take the court together. All three are excellent scorers, but none are traditional point guards.
It will be interesting to see how the team fits together and facilitates the ball to one another. The Suns will also lack size with their star-filled lineup. They will need to get rebounding contributions from Nurkic.
When will the Phoenix Suns debut their All-Star lineup?
The Phoenix Suns will finally get to show off their new toys. For the first time, Beal, Booker, and Durant will start on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.
The game tips off at 9 p.m. ET and will be played on the Timberwolves home floor in the Target Center.
The Suns will face a stiff test against the T’Wolves, who are rolling so far this season. Phoenix has been up and down this season with a 4-6 record. On the other hand, Minnesota is placed third in the Western Conference at 7-2.
Minnesota should have the rebounding advantage and could control the game with their size. Their towering front court of Karl Anthony-Towns and Rudy Gobert could clean up down low. Minnesota is fifth in rebounding at 47.6 per game. The Phoenix Suns have been solid despite their lack of size on the glass, ranking eighth in the NBA with 46.7 rpg.