The Whiteboard: Draymond suspension, Giannis flips out, Suns Big Three debuts

Twenty-three games into the season, the Suns finally got their first chance to see their Big Three together. Bradley Beal, who was acquired in the offseason missed all but three games early in the season with a back injury, and it just so happened that Devin Booker or Durant was injured when Beal was healthy.

Beal returned to the lineup Tuesday night against the Warriors but Kevin Durant was out with an ankle sprain. Wednesday night, against the Nets, Durant was back in the lineup and the Suns finally were able to stress test their full roster.

What did the Suns see from their Big Three debut?

The Suns ultimately lost to the Nets, 116-112, but have to feel very good about what they saw from Beal, Durant and Booker. The trio combined for 75 points and 20 assists, shooting 57 percent from the field. Most importantly, they outscored the Nets by 12 points in the 19 minutes the trio was on the court together.

The appeal of pairing these three together is not just three elite perimeter shooters, it's three elite shooters who can also destroy a late closeout or attack from the weakside. Any primary action involving even one of these three is going to put a ton of pressure on the defense and having the other two waiting when the ball is swung against a defense that's already bent out of shape is a scary proposition. I mean, this is almost too easy.

Just look how much gravity each player exerts on the defense as the ball moves from one player to the next.

The Suns have already been potent surrounding Durant and Booker with elite shooters but Beal offers a level of gravity and creation ability that Eric Gordon or Grayson Allen just can't match. And as they get more experience with Beal as that third wheel they'll, collectively, be even more adept at intentionally leveraging their individual gravities and warping the defense.

The Suns obviously still have defensive challenges to overcome and health will always be a lingering concern with this group. They also still need to figure out how the minutes work with Booker. He's become their point guard and the Suns were hammered when Durant and Beal were on the court without him (minus-17 in five minutes in this game, minus-6 in 55 minutes earlier in the season).

But for 19 minutes at least, the Suns and their fans got to see proof of concept and that has to inspire optimism for their chances to re-emerge as an inner-circle contender.

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Draymond Green suspended indefinitely

Everyone knew a suspension was coming for Draymond Green after he was ejected for hitting Jusuf Nurkic in the face during Tuesday night's game with the Suns. But no one expected what the league actually handed down — an indefinite suspension that will require him "to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play,” per the NBA.

It's not clear at this point what all of those conditions are but they will likely include counseling and Green, his agent, Rich Paul, and Mike Dunleavy Jr., the Warriors' new GM, will meet soon to build a plan.

Green had played just six games after returning from a five-game suspension for choking Rudy Gobert in an in-game altercation earlier this season. He has already been ejected three times this season and has now been ejected 20 times in his career, closing in on the NBA's all-time record.

READ MORE:

• NBA suspends Draymond Green indefinitely, cites 'repeated history' by Kendra Andrews, for ESPN
• The NBA is sick and tired of Draymond Green, which should get the Warriors thinking about an exit by Tim Kawakami, for The Athletic
• A look at Draymond Green’s history of suspensions in the NBA by Greg Rosenstein and Lukas Weese, for The Athletic

Giannis scores 64, chases Pacers into the locker room

Giannis Antetokounmpo absolutely demolished the Pacers Wednesday night, scoring a franchise-record 64 points. But what we'll all remember most is the on-court argument and then Giannis sprinting down the tunnel (with a Bucks' staffer futilely holding onto his jersey) towards the Pacers locker room trying to retrieve the game ball.

The Pacers reportedly wanted the game ball for rookie Oscar Tshiebwe who scored his first career points in the game. Giannis said he wanted the game ball for Damian Lillard, who passed Kyle Korver for fifth on the all-time 3-point list. The incident, luckily, never turned violent and Giannis did end up with a game ball. But he's not convinced it's the game ball.

Giannis — who has now scored 64, 54 and 37 points in three games against the Pacers this season — will get two opportunities for revenge in a home-and-home series against Indiana on Jan. 1 and Jan. 3.

READ MORE:

• Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks scoring record overshadowed by game ball drama with Pacers
  by Eric Nehm, for The Athletic
• Giannis Antetokounmpo Is Highly Doubtful He Has the Game Ball From His Career Night by Ian Casselberry, for Sports Illustrated

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