3 possible closing lineup ideas for Phoenix Suns next season

Closing lineup ideas for Phoenix Suns: 1. Damion Lee — Eric Gordon — Bradley Beal — Devin Booker — Kevin Durant

Ayton and Bol are both versatile and mobile enough that the Suns can still play an uptempo, well-spaced game with either or both on the floor. With those two on the roster, along with Drew Eubanks and Chimezie Metu, it's unlikely that play very often without a center. But when they do want to go small, the Suns can do it with as much shooting as anyone.

This orientation puts a lot of defensive pressure on Durant but he did play some center in small ball lineups with the Warriors and really grew as a weakside rim protector in those seasons. We're a few years removed from that and he won't have Draymond Green next to him, but in spurts, he has the physical tools and experience to make this work.

On offense is where this lineup really sings. In Booker, Beal and Durant the Suns have three of the most potent perimeter scorers in the league and they can surround them with Lee — who made 47.0 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s last season — and Gordon — a career 37.1 percent 3-point shooter and capable off-the-dribble scorer against a bent defense. The Suns could juice their shooting even further by swapping in Yuta Watanabe, a 6-foot-9 wing who made 44.4 percent of his 3s last season.

Again, the defensive strain on this group means it's a situational option at best. But the offensive potential is otherworldly and there are certainly occasions where the Suns could use it to their benefit this season.