Phoenix Suns can build off Kevin Durant, Devin Booker winning gold, Tim Legler says

ESPN NBA analyst Tim Legler believes Kevin Durant and Devin Booker will carry momentum from winning Olympic gold in Paris into the 2024-25 season, thus giving the Phoenix Suns a surge as well, after a disappointing 2023-24 season.

“Devin Booker plays a role on this team where he gets so much credit internally, from the coaching staff, from his teammates about being the unsung MVP to quote Steve Kerr,” Legler said Tuesday’s 'NBA Today' as Kerr was Team USA’s head coach. “That’s got to make Devin Booker feel really good in terms of how he’s viewed as a winner. Kevin Durant was great.”

Durant rebounded from a calf injury that sidelined him the entire exhibition schedule to average 13.8 points in becoming Team USA’s all-time leading scorer in Olympic play, men or women, and winning a record fourth Olympic gold medal in men’s basketball.

Booker was Team USA’s fourth-leading scorer at 11.8, starting every game and knocking down a team-high 56.5% from 3 in winning his second Olympic gold medal.

“I think Phoenix has the most to grab from a team standpoint of those star players who played on the Olympic team,” Legler added.

The Suns went 26-15 in the 41 games Booker, Durant and Bradley Beal played together. Beal dealt with injuries in the first half of his first season in Phoenix after coming over in a trade from Washington.

They finished last season 49-33 to land the sixth seed, but Minnesota swept them in the first round. Phoenix was the first team eliminated from the 2024 playoffs.

Frank Vogel was fired after one season. The Suns quickly hired Mike Budenholzer, who coached the Milwaukee Bucks to an NBA championship in defeating the Suns in the 2021 finals.

They landed defensive stud Ryan Dunn in the first round of the 2024 draft, added Tyus Jones and Monte Morris to address their point guard issues from a season ago and big Mason Plumlee.

“They’re going to get more than 41 games together this year with Bradley Beal,” Legler said. “I love some of the new pieces they added.”

The Suns open the 2024-25 regular season Oct. 23 at the Los Angeles Clippers.

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrakin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin .

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Suns can build off Kevin Durant, Devin Booker winning gold, Tim Legler says