It was only against the Sixers and the Jazz, but the Suns won a second victory in a row last night, and it had been a month since that had happened to them! With a negative record (18v-19d), Kevin Durant's teammates can no longer afford to waste ammunition, and they could turn positive on Sunday evening with the reception of the Hornets, who had beaten them this week.
To avoid any hiccups, even in back-to-back, Mike Budenholzer can count on the Durant-Booker duo (59 points last night), but also the enthusiasm of his rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro. “It’s a good balance” explains Devin Booker about this mix between an All-Star “Big Three” and rookies. “They are mature when they play basketball, and right after they show their true age. It's pleasant… As I said before, it's a very young locker room, and through them, we are in contact with the new generation. »
Budenholzer trusts them so much that he decided to do without Jusuf Nurkic for two matches, and leave Bradley Beal off the bench. “I knew we would have some impact. I didn't expect me to be a starter and play a lot of minutes. I didn't come here with high expectations. I worked and I did what I had to do to play.” explains Dunn, one of the good picks of this 2024 Draft.
Alongside him, Ighodaro has become the first interior rotation, and he meets his coach's expectations. “Oso influences the game with his counterattacks. I knew he was going to do it,” Dunn explains of his teammate. “And then there is the confidence that these guys give us, that the staff gives us and that the team, as a whole, gives us. It's great! And you know, we try to learn through the mistakes of the rookies, and through the ups and downs, but it's great.”
