PHOENIX — Late Christmas night, at the tail end of an NBA showcase lineup, the Phoenix Suns came out against the Denver Nuggets and hit their first six 3-point attempts. Asked about this after a 110-100, much-needed win, Suns star Kevin Durant was ready.
“Yeah, we know fans hate 3s, but we generated a lot of them (Wednesday night), just getting into the paint and kicking out,” he said.
In his 18th season, Durant doesn’t miss much. He’s well aware of the dialogue around the NBA, how an evolving style, which includes an analytics-driven emphasis on 3-point shooting, might be contributing to declining interest and television ratings.
Sports Media Watch recently reported that viewership across ABC, ESPN and TNT is down 19 percent from this time last season. Last week, when asked about a new All-Star game format, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said the conversation stretches beyond All-Star weekend and specifically mentioned the 3-point explosion.
This matters to Durant. Early in his career, when the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City, he saw what the NBA can do for a city and state. Durant played with the Thunder for eight seasons, leading them to the 2012 NBA Finals.
“I know how it changes lives and inspires lives and does a lot for people, so I take this serious,” Durant said after dropping 27 points to help beat the Nuggets. “I’m locked into as to why people don’t want to watch us play no more. Why they don’t like the 3-point line. Or what the real problem is. I’m trying to think about it and understand it because I love this game and I want to see it keep going.”
Under coach Mike Budenholzer, in his first year in Phoenix, the Suns entered this season determined to get up more 3s. Asked about this in October, Budenholzer, who won a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2020-21 season, said he loved the pro game’s direction. He expressed amazement over the athletic ability and shooting range of today’s players. To him, that’s the definition of entertainment — when a person is “kind of put into shock or awe by what people can do.” Budenholzer said he respected those who disagreed, but he considered this a beautiful time for basketball.
Budenholzer’s emphasis has placed Phoenix 11th in the league in 3-point attempts per game. The Suns are up an average of six from last season — from 32.6 to 38.6 — when they played under previous coach Frank Vogel, while making them at the same 38.2 percent rate as a year ago.
The problem: It hasn’t mattered much to the 15-14 Suns, mostly because of injuries. This is a team still trying to find its way, if not better health. Durant and Bradley Beal have missed time with various issues. Star guard Devin Booker missed his third game Wednesday with a groin issue.
Despite the poor television ratings, Wednesday night’s atmosphere at Footprint Center was electric. A sellout crowd of 17,071 turned out two days after the Suns had suffered their worst defeat of the season to the Nuggets (16-12) in Denver. Fans were festive from the start.
In the second half, they elevated the energy to a higher level, and it had nothing to do with 3-point shooting. (After the Suns hit their first six, they made 5 of 30 the rest of the way.) Instead, it had to do with hustle. Midway through the third quarter, Beal blocked a Christian Braun lay-up. Phoenix point guard Tyus Jones grabbed the rebound and fired ahead to Jusuf Nurkić. The Phoenix big man then threw a lob that rookie Ryan Dunn slammed home.
YOU BETTER WATCH OUT 👀 pic.twitter.com/kaWMtqXViN
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) December 26, 2024
Not much later, Durant misfired on a 3. Reserve forward Josh Okogie tapped back the offensive rebound, giving the Suns an extra possession. Denver vet Russell Westbrook stole the ball, but Okogie stole it back. He dunked. Fans roared.
NONSTOP HUSTLE 💥 pic.twitter.com/eHtJaKnJnn
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) December 26, 2024
This wasn’t an accident. After getting routed Monday, the Suns had talked about max effort. And how they couldn’t survive without it. “When key guys in your lineup are out,” Durant said, “sometimes you got to change the identity of your team on the fly”
“I can’t really share what Coach shared … but we got the point,” said Beal, who matched Durant with 27 points. “He challenged us all as individuals and as a team to be better.”
Durant knows how it is on Christmas. Fans hang out with family. The NBA is on television. Distractions are few. It’s a great day for the league.
The 14-time All-Star said he’s noticed people blaming players for the declining ratings. Durant understands. Fans don’t see executives or general managers as much. Players are visible. Plus, they make so much money people think they should handle whatever criticism comes their way.
“(But) it’s more than just one factor of why this league is great,” Durant said. “It’s not just the players why it’s great. And it’s not just the players why the viewership is not up, too. We all play a part in why the league is what it is.”
He hopes the holiday enthusiasm continues.
“Hopefully, (fans) stay invested in the game, invested in each player, each team throughout the rest of the season,” Durant said. “Not just the playoffs or the finals. Games in January. I want to see the viewership get back up. League ain’t going nowhere, but we’re in a rough patch when it comes to that.”
GO DEEPER
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(Photo of Kevin Durant after Wednesday’s win: Barry Gossage / NBAE via Getty Images)
