Coach Bud told us who’s starting, but who is finishing is what matters

Oh. And Bradley Beal shouldn’t start.

The Phoenix Suns starting five. They have options this year. They can go traditional, starting a point guard like Tyus Jones. They can go positionless like a season ago (please don’t), opting to have Devin Booker and Bradley Beal in their starting backcourt. It’s a good problem to have. It’s a valid conversation about what to do and how to approach it.

Head coach Mike Budenholzer, in his conversation with NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner, stated that the starting five would include Tyus Jones alongside Devin Booker, Bradley, Beal, Kevin Durant, and Jusuf Nurkic.

Of course, this creates discourse. And it isn’t whether or not Tyus Jones should be starting. It’s whether or not Bradley Beal should be.

Shocking? Not really. We’ve been talking about it throughout the offseason. Let’s start there.

Why Beal shouldn’t start

I’m putting this out into the universe one more time. It’s something I’ve been saying since early on last season: I believe Bradley Beal is best suited to further the Suns’ aspirations by coming off the bench, despite his $50.2 million salary. It’s a hefty price tag for a non-starter, but sometimes the value lies in impact, not just in starting lineups.

The strategy of bringing Bradley Beal off the bench seems simple to me. For the first 5 to 7 minutes of the game, he stays on the sidelines, allowing Devin Booker to start in his natural shooting guard role and set the tone early, giving Phoenix a chance to jump out to a quick lead.

Booker averaged 8.4 points in the first last season, as he is generally known as someone who starts games quick. He scored 31.1% of all of his points last year in the first. Beal? He averaged 4.9 points, as compared to 5.0 in the second, 4.5 in the third, and 4.4 in the fourth. So let him cook in his natural position.

As the first rotations occur and second-team defenses start to check in, that’s when you unleash Bradley Beal.

The rest of the game becomes a balancing act, managing minutes between Booker and Beal to maximize their time at the shooting guard position. With only 48 minutes to work with, you’re not limiting Booker and Beal to 24 minutes each. There will be overlap, and there will be moments when Booker plays out of position.

But the key is to prioritize keeping him in his natural role for as many minutes as possible. The best way to do this is from the tip, with Beal on the bench. Because…

I don’t care who starts the game. I care who finishes it.

The most pivotal moments of a basketball game don’t happen when the starting lineups are announced to the booming roar of music, flames erupt from cannons, and the Gorilla charges across the court waving a massive ‘PHX’ flag.

It’s in the crunch time moments. It’s in the final five minutes of a game. I’m not sure why we don’t have a clearer grasp of what really matters. Sure, being named a starter means a lot to players, but does it really matter if, when the game is on the line, you’re not the one out there?

When crunch time hits, that is when the starting lineup Mike Budenholzer suggested truly matters. That’s when having Jones, Booker, Beal, Durant, and Nurkic creates issues for opponents. The spacing they provide, the ability of each player not named ‘Jusuf’ to create their own shot, and the fact that three of them are elite shot-makers will be a nightmare for any defense.

I hear you. “Well, Johnny Boy, if that’s the case, why is starting with that lineup not optimal?”. Pshhh…you said, “optimal”. For reasons I stated above. Because not starting Beal opens up Booker early. Because it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. Right, 2023-24 Suns?

The addition of Jones allows for ball security and direction when a possession begins to break down. I highly doubt that opposing teams will blitz the ball when it’s in Jones’s hands. Too often we saw that with Booker playing point last year.

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So yes, the Suns and Mike Bud have said this is their starting five. Slam the table. Put a stamp on it. Who cares? It’s the closing five that we should care about. And in the same breath, bring Beal off the bench. And don’t call me ‘Johnny Boy’!