PHOENIX — There is a very cool shift happening in the NBA with positional flexibility, and the Phoenix Suns are square in the orbit of it.
The transition from rugged power forwards to modern wings has redefined what that role is. There aren’t many old-school two-guards anymore, either. It’s led to this freedom that teams are leaning into beyond having a lead guard and a center in their starting lineups. What is between those slices of bread varies, and the juxtaposition between rosters and their approaches is fascinating.
While noting that each of these three-guard lineups has different traits, it’s decidedly that kind of look for Memphis, Oklahoma City, Phoenix and Sacramento in the starting lineup.
That’ll lead to unique matchups for whoever the “3” is, like 6-foot-6 Desmond Bane against 6-foot-10 Michael Porter Jr. or 186-pound Alex Caruso versus 225-pound Jonathan Kuminga. It’s legitimately difficult to label a definitive position for any of those four guys given the responsibilities they have with the skill sets they have. Porter in some ways plays like Tim Thomas, Bane is too small to be a wing as an on-ball guard anyway, Caruso’s a guard-sized Bruce Bowen and Kuminga’s almost like a slashing small-ball 5.
The New Orleans Pelicans, armed with a talented yet imbalanced roster, are taking it as far as potentially starting without a center entirely. 6-foot-7, 206-pound wing Herb Jones will be their center if we’re considering his role on the offensive side of the ball.
“Crazy, right?” 18-year vet Kevin Durant said of the positional dynamics.
And while the Thunder will go with three guards, their fully healthy starting five will include two bigs, a rarity these days. There are so many more examples like this across the league.
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