reassessing Booker

[elindholm]

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.

 

[Superbone]

Why no capital 'R'? OK, getting past my OCD, I'm not so sure. I feel like something changed for him. He used to be really fiery and loved to trash talk. Along the way he's become much more passive and less aggressive. I don't know why. I think I like your line of thinking to blame KD.

 

[Mainstreet]

The game 7 loss to the Mavericks in 2022 is a puzzler. Booker is the only player left from that team. Because of this, it's tempting to put the blame on him, but I think it's more complicated.

Kobe Bryant inspired Devin to take his game to new heights. This part of the equation doesn't fit so neatly. Are we to think Devin quit caring?

Also, players seem to go out of their way to play with him. And then there is the respect he gets from coaches such as Steve Kerr in the Olympics.

I think it's more likely the Suns front office and ownership broke up the team prematurely by making the trade for Kevin Durant.

 

[ProdigalSun]

Its arguable that shoe contracts are more important than trophies to this generation of players

 

[how_sweet_it_is]

Personally, since I am neither a hater nor a fanboy of Booker, I welcome this discussion the same way I welcomed hearing opinions (which were new to me) that Shawn Marion was overrated. But this post is all about unanswerable questions. I commented recently that most players today neither show us their true colors nor say anything meaningful. Regrettably, this very much includes Booker. I have no idea what he thinks about anything on or off the court. Same with Durant. However, I can't claim you were wrong to accuse Booker of not caring, because you didn't do that--not exactly. All you said is "it's possible." Sure it is, and if true, it would explain why he laughed. I wonder.

 

[boisesuns]

It seemed like he was approaching the superstar level, but that he’s still missing something to put him over the top.

I fear it’s possible he’s peaked already and is going the wrong way. Kinda like my posting. I was better back in the day, but I’m content to just show up here and there and still get paid the same

 

[95pro]

Its arguable that shoe contracts are more important than trophies to this generation of players

Players used to chase the the championship to earn these types of deals. Now everyone gets a shoe deal or some other type of endorsement.

I feel sometimes Book and KD care too much about their lifestyle rather than basketball. I have no proof or anything but that’s just my opinion.

 

[82CardsGrad]

In one specific way, I see Book as I do Kyler. Good enough to often make you think he’s “that guy,” but in reality he’s falls just shy of being that guy.
Yes, Kobe served as Book’s mentor and role model, however, there is quite a distance between the two of them, both physically (Kobe was far more athletic) and emotionally (Kobe’s heart was bigger than Book’s).

After that tragic Dallas defeat, I concluded Book is not that guy and not the sort of player who could lead a team to a championship. At best, he represents a fantastic #2 option to a great, in-his-prime, true #1 who is also the unquestioned leader of the team.
As we all are painfully aware, the current Suns team is totally void of a legit leader. And as our #1 guy, KD is showing signs of his age, is inconsistent and injury-prone.

And yes, I believe Book’s game has not only plateaued, but it’s hit his ceiling. I believe we’ve seen the best of Book. Not saying he can’t get back to that level of play again (though I’m skeptical), but I don’t believe we’ll ever see Devin Booker be more than he’s been thus far in his career.

 

[Finito]

We’ve still never found out what happened in that Dallas series. Up 2-0 then it’s really like they just quit. The single most pathetic elimination game I’ve ever seen till this day.

Booker has always been a pouter and finger pointer to me. To me he seems content to be a number 2 he’s never been a gather the team type guy.

It’s clear he’s peaked and I think he genuinely needs a change of scenery for himself it doesn’t look like he’s having fun out there. He knows what we all know.

 

[1tinsoldier]

the tv announcers and local talk radio has been working hard to repair the perception of Booker's value this past week. Luckily he had a couple of good games to back them up. But my guess is, they know the fans are turning on the Suns, and that includes Booker, but they've been informed Booker will not be moved, he's still the face of the Suns (i.e. the Suns product) so, they've been tasked to restore fan faith in the product.

Nurkic, however, not getting off the bench seems to indicate he is being moved.

 

[GatorAZ]

He’s a rich man’s Allan Houston/Brandon Roy. There’s just no athletic/3pt upside at this point. I don’t think it’s attitude tbh.

 

[how_sweet_it_is]

the tv announcers and local talk radio has been working hard to repair the perception of Booker's value this past week. Luckily he had a couple of good games to back them up. But my guess is, they know the fans are turning on the Suns, and that includes Booker, but they've been informed Booker will not be moved, he's still the face of the Suns (i.e. the Suns product) so, they've been tasked to restore fan faith in the product.

Nurkic, however, not getting off the bench seems to indicate he is being moved.

That makes the sports media look terrible. It only strengthens the public's increasing belief that the media are generally propagandists.

 

[how_sweet_it_is]

He’s a rich man’s Allan Houston/Brandon Roy.

I'm especially not sure about the Brandon Roy comparison, because I was watching the NBA back then but I never saw enough of Roy to understand him--of course not! he was almost always out due to injury, so how often could I see him play? But I certainly agree that Booker is a star, not a superstar. He does not deserve a supermax contract, only a max. But he is the only career Suns player at all since Amare Stoudemire (I mean career to date, of course), the only constant for fans'; so the idea of dumping Booker is very uncomfortable. I don't love Booker; he made sure of that many years ago in his first or second year, when he annoyed me by yelling "That's my mother******* shot!" at some opposing player. I have no use for trash talk or, more generally, public displays of egotism and arrogance by players. It's just that I would like a 100% imported core even less. Notwithstanding that the Suns did just draft two players.

 

[Yuma]

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.

I have been studying Buddhism and I totally appreciate Booker's demeanor. They are losing games with the lineups the coach is putting out there, and the players our front office is bringing in. Booker can only control the way he plays. His actions. If he thrrew a tantrum after every loss, we fans might like it, but what would it change? I want my star player to erase a bad loss from his mind and be 100% ready for the next game. Getting overly negative after a loss just harms yourself. Preparing for the next game the minute after the game ended is all Booker can control. Bottom line, Booker can ask for a trade, but I think he really wants to play for the Suns. If so, there's not much he can do or control other than his play.

 

[Mainstreet]

In one specific way, I see Book as I do Kyler. Good enough to often make you think he’s “that guy,” but in reality he’s falls just shy of being that guy.
Yes, Kobe served as Book’s mentor and role model, however, there is quite a distance between the two of them, both physically (Kobe was far more athletic) and emotionally (Kobe’s heart was bigger than Book’s).

After that tragic Dallas defeat, I concluded Book is not that guy and not the sort of player who could lead a team to a championship. At best, he represents a fantastic #2 option to a great, in-his-prime, true #1 who is also the unquestioned leader of the team.
As we all are painfully aware, the current Suns team is totally void of a legit leader. And as our #1 guy, KD is showing signs of his age, is inconsistent and injury-prone.

And yes, I believe Book’s game has not only plateaued, but it’s hit his ceiling. I believe we’ve seen the best of Book. Not saying he can’t get back to that level of play again (though I’m skeptical), but I don’t believe we’ll ever see Devin Booker be more than he’s been thus far in his career.

We’ve still never found out what happened in that Dallas series. Up 2-0 then it’s really like they just quit. The single most pathetic elimination game I’ve ever seen till this day.

Booker has always been a pouter and finger pointer to me. To me he seems content to be a number 2 he’s never been a gather the team type guy.

It’s clear he’s peaked and I think he genuinely needs a change of scenery for himself it doesn’t look like he’s having fun out there. He knows what we all know.

People talk about the Dallas series, but the Suns made it to the Finals the previous season.

 

[Yuma]

People talk about the Dallas series, but the Suns made it to the Finals the previous season.

I saw it more as a fall off in Ayton's play rather than Bookers. Ayton played his best in those play off games leading to the Finals. Had he been able to play better D in the Finals, maybe we get a third win, or eke out a championship in seven games?

 

[Mainstreet]

I saw it more as a fall off in Ayton's play rather than Bookers. Ayton played his best in those play off games leading to the Finals. Had he been able to play better D in the Finals, maybe we get a third win, or eke out a championship in seven games?

I see it more as the Suns having the perfect chemistry in the 2020-21 Finals run. Unfortunately, Dario Saric went down that series.

If fans are going to blame Booker for the Suns crashing against Dallas, they need to give him credit for taking the Suns to the Finals against the Bucks.

 

[Yuma]

I see it more as the Suns having the perfect chemistry in the 2020-21 Finals run. Unfortunately, Dario Saric went down that series.

If fans are going to blame Booker for the Suns crashing against Dallas, they need to give him credit for taking the Suns to the Finals against the Bucks.

Book did have some good games in that series. Also, when we were getting blown out, he was only one of two guys who actually hustled and tried the whole game.

 

[Finito]

People talk about the Dallas series, but the Suns made it to the Finals the previous season.

We did and we had the best record the next year but it really started going left after we locked up the number 1 seed.

I’m not solely blaming Booker for what happened in Dallas the entire team fell apart(mostly Paul) but he’s supposed to our leader and best player so it falls in him. That’s part of being the guy. You can’t run from it.


All those guys are gone Monty, Paul, Ayton, Bridges, Cam everybody gone. Booker the only one left and it seems we still have the same problems sooooo.

 

[Finito]

I saw it more as a fall off in Ayton's play rather than Bookers. Ayton played his best in those play off games leading to the Finals. Had he been able to play better D in the Finals, maybe we get a third win, or eke out a championship in seven games?

Ayton was literally our best defender on Giannis that series

When Bud started hounding Paul full court that series changed and Monty just stood and watched.

 

[82CardsGrad]

People talk about the Dallas series, but the Suns made it to the Finals the previous season.

True…though, I’m not sure that finals vs Milwaukee does Book any favors either… As Barkley said this week on Bickley & Marotta, “I’ve never been swept in a 4 game series… EVER!”

 

[Cheesebeef]

People talk about the Dallas series, but the Suns made it to the Finals the previous season.

Where Booker totally crapped the bed in Game 6, helping the team choke it’s way from up 2-0 to a backdoor sweep.

He’s also been the co-leader of the two most humiliating Suns home playoff losses to end seasons ever, completely no showing in those vomitous 30 point laughers in back to back years… before co-authoring last year’s pathetic 0-4 sweep, where he only showed up in the entire series for the first 3 quarters of Game 4 and then disappeared as usual in the playoff clutch in the 4th where he got owned by Ant.

Here’s the cold, hard truth. The Finals trip was a fluky, Covid run where we STILL choked away a 2-0 lead AND is the exception to the rule for the rest of Booker’s entire career. Outside of 2021, he’s either been the empty stats leader of a perennial lotto dormat or someone who leads his team to craptacular playoff drubbings in the first or second round.

 

[Mainstreet]

Ayton was literally our best defender on Giannis that series

When Bud started hounding Paul full court that series changed and Monty just stood and watched.

This is true. The Suns didn't have anyone who could defend Giannis beyond Ayton.

 

[Mainstreet]

True…though, I’m not sure that finals vs Milwaukee does Book any favors either… As Barkley said this week on Bickley & Marotta, “I’ve never been swept in a 4 game series… EVER!”

Still, Chuck never won a championship.

 

[Mainstreet]

We did and we had the best record the next year but it really started going left after we locked up the number 1 seed.

I’m not solely blaming Booker for what happened in Dallas the entire team fell apart(mostly Paul) but he’s supposed to our leader and best player so it falls in him. That’s part of being the guy. You can’t run from it.


All those guys are gone Monty, Paul, Ayton, Bridges, Cam everybody gone. Booker the only one left and it seems we still have the same problems sooooo.

Looking back, those were pretty good times. IMO, the Suns were broken up too soon.