Nurkic loves playing with Booker, Durant and Beal
Jusuf Nurkic was running pick-androll with Devin Booker and noticed Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal on the floor with them at the team’s practice facility. Yeah.
It’s like that in Phoenix.
“I’m saying ‘God damn,”’ said a smiling Nurkic, who the Suns acquired from Portland as part of a three-team deal a week before training camp that sent Deandre Ayton to the Blazers and Damian Lillard to Milwaukee.
“It’s kind of crazy when you think about it. The spacing and everything is so big. It’s really fun to be out there.”
And this is just Day 2 of training camp for the Suns.
After a two-a-day Tuesday, the Suns resumed camp Wednesday with another spirited practice as they played fiveon-five with referees.
Legs seem good.
“We did some conditioning, a lot of conditioning leading up to training camp,” Suns wing Josh Okogie said. “Everybody is pretty much up to speed.”
Okogie said he hadn’t had a two-aday practice since his rookie year when he played for Tom Thibodeau in Minnesota.
Now he’s playing for another defensive minded coach in Frank Vogel.
Vogel didn’t notice any fatigue from the players.
“They didn’t behave that way,” Vogel said. “Guys were ready to get after it. We have another spirited practice. Pushed them really hard. If they’re not the sorest tomorrow that they’re going to be all year, then I haven’t done my job. I made sure they’re going to be nice and sore.”
Vogel broke down what he’s been looking for during the 5-on-5 action as the Suns seek that fifth starter to go along with Booker, Durant, Beal and Nurkic.
“I’m watching the system more than anything,” Vogel said. “Just really trying to get real-time accountability to the habits that we’re trying to build. There’s always film the next day and that’ll be a big accountability piece for us, but you don’t get to have a lot of live action practice throughout the regular season where you can blow the whistle, stop, teach, correct. We try to get as much of that in as we can now.”