elindholm
edited for content
As a Durant hater, I've been tempted to blame all of the franchise's current woes on him, including Booker's regression. But another thought has occurred to me.
It's possible Booker has never really cared about winning all along. During his first five seasons, the Suns were awful, and we admired how he continued to stick with the team, gradually improve his game, and show some leadership. But maybe part of the picture was that the losing didn't bother him that much. He was emerging as a celebrity, dating a Kardashian, getting endorsements. He made his first All-Star team in 2020 and his brand was taking care of itself.
When Chris Paul led the Suns to the 2021 Finals, Booker's three-point shooting deserted him, but otherwise he played well, especially considering that he was a young player getting his first playoff experience. But, as others have noted, his game has plateaued since then, and he was terrible in the infamous Game 7 loss to Dallas in 2022 that prompted the trades that would destroy the franchise.
He is curiously calm about the Suns' current predicament. Others have puzzled that he seems not to care "anymore." But maybe the reason he has always wanted to be Durant's teammate is because they are fundamentally pretty similar. He gets paid to play basketball, not to win, and whether his team is good enough to compete at the highest level is fundamentally not his problem.
It's possible Booker has never really cared about winning all along. During his first five seasons, the Suns were awful, and we admired how he continued to stick with the team, gradually improve his game, and show some leadership. But maybe part of the picture was that the losing didn't bother him that much. He was emerging as a celebrity, dating a Kardashian, getting endorsements. He made his first All-Star team in 2020 and his brand was taking care of itself.
When Chris Paul led the Suns to the 2021 Finals, Booker's three-point shooting deserted him, but otherwise he played well, especially considering that he was a young player getting his first playoff experience. But, as others have noted, his game has plateaued since then, and he was terrible in the infamous Game 7 loss to Dallas in 2022 that prompted the trades that would destroy the franchise.
He is curiously calm about the Suns' current predicament. Others have puzzled that he seems not to care "anymore." But maybe the reason he has always wanted to be Durant's teammate is because they are fundamentally pretty similar. He gets paid to play basketball, not to win, and whether his team is good enough to compete at the highest level is fundamentally not his problem.
