The Phoenix Suns are championship favorites.
The Suns, who have been the winningest team in basketball the last three seasons, have a superstar trio with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. They hired coach Frank Vogel, who is one of the best defensive coaches in recent memory, and signed a bench with mostly minimum contract players. However, it will carry a lot of value.
Former San Antonio Spurs forward Keita Bates-Diop spoke with ClutchPoints last week about the excitement for the Suns’ season. Bates-Diop averaged career-best numbers in points (9.7), assists (1.5) and 3-point shooting (39.4 percent) in 2022-23.
“I think it’s been a really good preseason for us,” Bates-Diop told ClutchPoints. “Obviously, it’s just building good habits and building our system and everything. I think we’ve done a great job getting better with things we need to improve on.”
Bates-Diop was viewed on media day as a candidate for the Suns’ fifth starting spot next to their big three and center Jusuf Nurkic. Bates-Diop, who was the Big Ten Player of the Year at Ohio State in 2018, has a 7-foot-3 wingspan, which is something that should help the Suns’ help defense.
Bates-Diop in five preseason games has averaged 5.4 points in 17.6 minutes per contest.
“I’ve been doing well,” Bates-Diop said. “Defensively, doing all the little things they ask me to do at a high level. Everyone is as well, just trying to figure out their role and excelling in that role.”
Vogel said at Suns media day he expects Bates-Diop to be a defender for the Suns, who are working to be a “scrappy” team since they do not have size comparable to the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves or Los Angeles Lakers, in the West, on the interior.
“I think we’ve definitely established that with offensive rebounding, just being physical on defense. I think everybody, the big three included, is doing all the little things.”
Bates-Diop said it’s been “amazing” to play next to Booker, Beal and Durant. In three of the games that at least two of those players played — Beal missed two preseason contests due to back tightness and is questionable to play in the Suns’ season-opener Tuesday against the Goldden State Warriors — the Suns scored at least 70 first-half points.
“Just seeing it from just a couple games already, I’m interested to see how good it’ll look throughout an 82-game season,” Bates-Diop said. “I’m very excited to see how it’ll all come together.”
Bates-Diop and the Suns open their season against the Warriors, who have been arguably the most dangerous offensive team for nearly a decade. Phoenix then faces the Los Angeles Lakers, who have LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Thursday.
Vogel said he and his staff want the Suns to show “elite” effort in those games. Bates-Diop said the Suns’ defensive versatility, physicality and principles they have established have been progressing well.
“I think we’re actually at a pretty good place,” Bates-Diop said. “I think that we’ve been really locked in each game, each film session, each practice, getting better. That’s tremendous to start a season off on an aggressive, good note.”
Bates-Diop is expected to be part of a deeper Suns rotation if he fits in with his defensive ability. Phoenix has former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Eric Gordon, former Milwaukee Bucks starting guard Grayson Allen and former Brooklyn Nets sharpshooter Yuta Watanabe as perceived top depth options.
Bates-Diop played the last three seasons with coach Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs, teaching him important lessons he wants to utilize in Phoenix with the Suns.
“Definitely at the end of the year, going into a contract year, knowing I wanted to play well, obviously, individually,” Bates-Diop said. “Even Pop would tell me certain things like, ‘Hey, you want to carve out a career, you want to be here a long time and you have the ability to.’ So he kind of let me go with a lot of freedom. I learned a lot from him, to be honest, not just on the court, but off the court.”
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