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The Suns are too top-heavy to succeed in this era of the NBA

Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Prince J. Grimes.

What’s up hoops fans. Prince here for your Wednesday Layup Lines, fresh off a three-game slate of playoff games Tuesday where two teams pulled even at 1-1 and another team, the Phoenix Suns, fell into a 2-0 hole.

Considering the Suns are the lower seed in a 3-versus-6 matchup, it probably shouldn’t be surprising they’re facing a sweep as they head home, but it is. It’s weird seeing a Kevin Durant-led team appear so outclassed. The Suns haven’t even been very competitive, losing both games by double-digits. It’s tough to say they can’t bounce back at home, but from the looks of things, they’re definitely swinging up against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

One thought that crossed my mind as Phoenix fell behind in Game 2 was that we’re probably witnessing the end of the super-team era — or at least super teams as we once knew them, composed of big free-agent signings surrounded by vet minimum players. After seeing the Suns overwhelmed again, losing two games by an average of 18 points, even with Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal all playing heavy minutes, it was clear that formula is cooked.

If the 2010s were defined by teams stockpiling all-stars to chase titles, the 2020s are putting an emphasis back on roster construction. There’s no greater example of that than the reigning champion Denver Nuggets, who have exactly one player in their rotation who’s ever been an all-star. They methodically filled out the rest of the roster with solid role players who compliment him and one another.

Now, it definitely helps that their one all-star, Nikola Jokic, is also one of the greatest players ever and a soon-to-be three-time MVP, but the point remains. Even the team that finished ahead of Denver in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder, have just one all-star on their roster.

Every other playoff team in the West has at least two players with an all-star selection. The teams constructed more organically around homegrown talent — like the Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks — are the betting favorites to win their series. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers are on the verge of a second straight sweep to the Nuggets. The Clippers are still trying to reach the mountaintop with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and now James Harden. And then there’s the Suns, who were eliminated by Denver a year ago. Today, they’re on the verge of being bounced in the first round by a team that just won 50 games for the first time in 20 years. They’ve been an epic failure.

That tells me it’s no longer enough to simply put the best players you can find together and pray they figure it out. There was a time that strategy could at least get you to the conference finals, but now there needs to be a method to the roster-building madness. Otherwise, the competition is too stacked — in the right way — and they will get you right up out of here.

The Suns are learning that the hard way, and considering all they had to give up to land Durant and Beal, they’ll easily be one of the most disappointing teams of this season if Minnesota finishes the job. Maybe ever.

More from Tuesday’s games

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Phoenix and Minnesota weren’t the only teams in action Tuesday. The Indiana Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks to tie that series at 1-1 as they head to Indiana, and the Clippers got an important home win over the Mavericks to tie things up before that action heads to Dallas.

Here’s more of FTW’s coverage from last night in the association:

One to Watch

(All odds via BetMGM)

Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Miami Heat (+775) at Boston Celtics (-14.5; -1400), 7:10 p.m. ET

New Orleans Pelicans (+260) at Oklahoma City Thunder (-7.5; -350), 9:40 p.m. ET

I’m going to go on a limb and say only one of these games will be worth watching tonight (maybe), and that’s the second one. Without Jimmy Butler, I’m not giving Miami much of a shot against the Celtics. I fully expect Boston to cover -14.5. As for the Pelicans, they hung tight with OKC in Game 1, so I guess they can do it again. But they’re also a big underdog, so if that game gets out of hand early too, go ahead and call it a night, catch up on a little sleep. You earned it.

Shootaround

— 2 early NBA playoff trends paying off for bettors

— Charles Barkley and Shaq beat up a punching bag with Kendrick Perkins’ face on it

— A new mock draft from CBS has Zach Edey going very late in the first round

— Everything we know about the altercation between Nikola Jokic’s brother and a fan

Alright, y’all. That’s it from me. Enjoy tonight’s games. I’ll catch you next time.

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