The Suns gave up a huge haul for Kevin Durant in 2023, a gamble that unfortunately did not pay off for them. The team disappointed tremendously during Durant’s tenure after giving up two starters and 4 first-round picks to acquire him. Now they are seeing yet another player sacrificed in that trade have success as Noah Clowney (one of the picks) rapidly improves in Brooklyn.
Noah Clowney is becoming a valuable stretch four.
The Suns are much happier now with their returns from trading Durant to the Rockets. They are off to a surprisingly great start and establishing a winning team culture. Depth and defense has been a priority for the team this season, just as it was before they gave up multiple players for stars like Durant and Bradley Beal.
Noah Clowney was originally selected with the #21 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, which the Nets got from the Suns. He didn’t make much of an impact in his first two seasons, but is getting better quickly.
On the season, he is now averaging 12 points per game and displaying impressive shooting for his size (6’10” and 210lbs). At his power forward frame, Clowney is taking 6.4 threes a game and hitting 33% of them, making him a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.
While his percentages may not sound impressive, the gravity that he draws at his size as a potent shooter is valuable to any offense – especially higher-level ones. He could be a great piece for the Suns to alleviate pressure from Devin Booker as defenses focus on him. At the same time that Booker’s offense has started to struggle, Clowney’s scoring is taking another step.
In the last 3 games, Clowney is having some breakout performances. He has scored 19, 22, and 31 points in his last 3 outings, respectively. He’s getting up a lot of threes as usual but only shot well in one of those games (an impressive 7-of-13 from downtown on the way to 31 points).
But he’s showing an improved ability to attack the rim and beat closeouts. This gives him another counter in addition to his shooting threat that expands his offensive game.
The Suns unfortunately can’t take back their poor decisions of the past and reverse the choice to trade for Durant in the first place. Doing so could give them the perfect pieces they need now to build a great roster around Devin Booker. But seeing guys like Clowney have success elsewhere should teach the Suns what team-building approach can actually lead to sustainable winning in today’s NBA.
