NBA power rankings: Where Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns stand at NBA All-Star break
Are the Phoenix Suns the best team in the NBA's Western Conference after trading for Kevin Durant?
How serious of an NBA title contender are they?
Several sites weighed in on the Suns and their contender status in NBA power rankings ahead of the 2023 NBA All-Star Game.
Could the Phoenix Suns be holding the NBA Championship trophy at the end of the season?
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Dave McMenamin wrote: How's this for a welcome wagon for Durant? The No. 4-seeded Suns pulled away from the West's No. 3 seed, Sacramento, on Tuesday with Devin Booker scoring 32 on 13-for-20 shooting, Deandre Ayton putting up 29 on 13-for-17 and Chris Paul managing the action with 17 points and 19 assists. Step right up, Mr. Durant.
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Kuyrt Helin wrote: "Devin Booker returned and looked sharp in the win over the Kings, scoring 32 points and running the offense for stretches. Kevin Durant will make his Suns debut sometime after the All-Star break, but Phoenix is wisely not putting a timeline on that. Watching the Suns’ offense click against the Kings, then envisioning Kevin Durant in it, one question came to mind: How comfortable are players such as Booker and Deandre Ayton going to be with sacrificing parts of their game for the betterment of the team? (I do not doubt that Chris Paul is good with that.) Winning a ring requires stars to sacrifice (think Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade with LeBron James in Miami), guys not willing to do that can undermine a team. Ayton may see the big picture, but it’s something worth watching."
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Jason Burgos wrote: "MVP candidate Devin Booker was sidelined with a groin injury for nearly a month and they plummeted in the standings. However, they seemed to have circled the wagons just in time with Devin Booker back on the court. However, they have made a massive jump in the latest NBA power rankings not just for their recent play, but by swinging the biggest deal of the 2023 NBA trade deadline for MVP candidate Kevin Durant."
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Andy Bailey wrote: "The Phoenix Suns closed out the week with a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, but they hang onto their top-five spot in the power rankings on the back of a 5-2 record over their last seven and the eventual return of Kevin Durant. Of course, it's difficult to confidently analyze this team until KD returns, but it feels safe to assume he'll assimilate as easily as he did with the Golden State Warriors in 2016. And if that's the case, this team is a ready-made title contender that should be able to win a shootout against just about anyone."
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Colin Ward-Henninger wrote: "What happened? I must have blacked out for a second. The Suns beat the Nets on Tuesday, and then acquired their best player on Wednesday, officially kicking off the Kevin Durant era in Phoenix. They went from middle-of-the-pack to Western Conference favorites literally overnight, and it comes as Devin Booker is just starting to get back into shape, putting up 20 points and 5.5 assists in 26 minutes per game this week."
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Cody Taylor wrote: "The Suns stole the show at the trade deadline by acquiring Kevin Durant and TJ Warren from the Nets for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and four first-round picks. The team gave up an awful lot of players and assets for Durant, but the opportunity to add a former MVP doesn’t happen often, and the front office did what it needed to in order to get him. It is definitely championship or bust time now in Phoenix."
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Chinmay Vaidya wrote: "The Suns did have to give up Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, but they managed to keep Deandre Ayton out of the trade. Phoenix has four great starters in Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Durant and Ayton. Landry Shamet, Damion Lee, Torrey Craig and a handful of buyout players will round out what should be a championship-caliber roster. Now, Durant is still hurt and will need some time to get back to 100%. However, this team just became the favorite in the West for a good reason."
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Enzo Flojo wrote: "Boy, we cannot wait to see Kevin Durant play his first game as a Sun. Till that happens, though, this is just a pretty good team (instead of being a great one). The Suns, in fact, have split their last four games. They had good wins over the Pacers and Kings offset by losses to the Hawks and Clippers. We do expect them to be on a bit of a winning run after All-Star Weekend."
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Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: NBA power rankings: Phoenix Suns, Kevin Durant at NBA All-Star break
