The Phoenix Suns appear to be living a bit of a fantasy about their season, even after they almost missed out on the playoffs and embarrassingly lost 4-0 in the opening round. A number of the organization’s members recently evaluated their 2023–2024 season performance. These employees also discussed the primary areas that will be improved in the future. James Jones made some contentious remarks on Kevin Durant‘s usage at this time.
Throughout the regular season, there were numerous reports criticizing Frank Vogel and the Phoenix Suns for not making the most of Kevin Durant.
James Jones strangely talks up Kevin Durant
Devin Booker was frequently the Suns’ go-to player, even though KD was one of the greatest offensive players in NBA history. But going forward, as seen in Duane Rankin’s X article, General Manager James Jones pledged that the Slim Reaper would be utilized to its maximum potential.
“Figure out how to maximize Kevin Durant. No one’s done it yet. I believe we’ll be the first team to do it because we maximize him, we can maximize our entire roster,” Jones said.
Jones also emphasized Durant’s amazing season, thus hinting that the Suns did make the most of him. According to Jones, the team’s poor performance was caused by the coaching staff’s inability to effectively utilize the All-Star trio’s minutes.
“I think Kevin had a phenomenal season this year, offensively. He had some of the best stretches of his career this year. So it wasn’t on the offensive end, it wasn’t any utilization or usage thing. It was just a totality of figuring out when and where and how to do it together.
Kevin enjoys playing the game, we enjoyed him playing the game. When he’s playing at the highest level, he makes us a really, really good team and we’re damn near unbeatable,” James Jones claimed.
"A constant focus for us is to continue how to figure out and maximize Kevin Durant. No one has done it yet. I believe we'll be the 1st team to do it."
James Jones.
"When he's playing at the highest level, he makes us a really, really good team and we're damn near unbeatable." pic.twitter.com/SOAL5iyp9k
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) May 1, 2024
According to Basketball Reference, KD did average 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. Despite the visually enticing results, it’s crucial to remember that the 6’11” forward fell short of his career average in each of the three key metrics.
Regarding the Arizona team maybe being the first to make the most of Kevin Durant’s talent, James Jones is even less correct. The Golden State Warriors’ incredible run from 2016 to 2019 was made possible by Steve Kerr. Consequently, Durant was named MVP of the Finals twice.
