Trade “Best Offensive Machine” and “Best Killer Defenseman”
After failing to acquire Kyrie Irving, the Suns acquired Kevin Durant in a trade, resulting in more strength than Irving. So far, they have struggled with 30 wins and 27 losses, but with the formation of a wonderful quartet of Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton, it will be a battle to win from here alone.
Durant will have a harder time finding what he can’t do offensively and will fit right into the wing position with no issues. If I had to raise an issue, it would be about who would win the game at the end of the game. Is it Paul who is strong in the game, Booker who is ace, or Durant who is the best offensive machine? It’s a luxury you can’t choose from, but you can’t go wrong with any of them.
In order to add new options to the offense this season, the Suns dared to seal the traditional pattern and aimed to evolve as a team, but the results dropped suddenly due to the injuries of the main players one after the other, and not that’s the situation. cause. forced in. The condition of the team has improved with the return of injured players, but there was no time to try new things, and at a time when this was likely to be a concern in the playoffs, Durant, who was entrusted everything to him, and I felt that my worries were blown away immediately.
Chris Paul may have declined at age 37, and the drop in jump shot success rate was a concern for the team, but it will be resolved if Durant is entrusted with the same play. However, Durant is a player of a different dimension who solves everything on his own, but because he solves everything on his own too much, there is a risk that if Durant is the center of a team, he will depend on individual skills. Since he joined in the middle of the season, it might be more effective to use him as an option without mixing it into the team’s strategy.
Of course, the trade came at a cost, losing a ton of draft picks, sixth man Cameron Johnson and, most of all, Mikel Bridges. Releasing Bridges will be a big blow, especially on the defensive end. If Durant was “the best offensive machine”, Bridges was an excellent defender in modern tactics, who should be described as “the best killer defender”.
There are players who are better than Bridges if they face up and defend in 1on1, but in the modern offense, it’s fundamental to move around off the ball while using the screen to hit a 3-point shot, and encourage the switch. Although there are tactics that do not even match properly, not only the marking man in front of you, but also the positioning of players on the whole floor, skilfully avoiding the screener, read through the point where it will the next pass comes out ■ Bridges’ defense, who fills first, is so overwhelming that no player can match him.
In addition, Bridges hasn’t missed a single game since his rookie days, and the steady state that continues to run more than anyone else was also a big feature. For that reason, replacing the 34-year-old Durant with mounting injuries will be a concern for the team’s stamina. Considering Durant’s ability, it may be a “trivial problem”, but in order to win the championship, the details are important, and Bridges, who contributed with excellent tactical eyes and high dedication, will not go, he may creating invisible problems.
What kind of result will the opposite trade of the Suns, who formed a luxury quartet, bring to the Nets, who have all the hard workers due to the outflow of stars? Victory is the only achievement after giving up favorite Bridges for Durant.
