Phoenix Suns: 2016-17 Season Outlook

Three Key Storylines: 2. Booker vs. Knight

At the forefront of this debate about youth vs. remaining competitive is the question over who should be the team’s starting shooting guard. Bledsoe, the team’s best player, has easily proven his merit as the starting 1-guard, but many believe Devin Booker — not Brandon Knight — should be starting alongside him as soon as 2016-17.

At this point in time, Knight is the better player. As promising as Booker’s rookie season was, he’s still only 19 years old. He needs to put on strength, he’s a woeful defender, and as we saw down the stretch of last season, his three-point efficiency took a nosedive as starter’s minutes piled on.

There’s also a similar dynamic to this backcourt logjam as there was when the Suns struggled to share the ball between Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas — a situation of discontent McDonough will be keen to avoid this time around.

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Until he recently dialed back his comments, Knight had been adamantly opposed to a sixth man role, envisioning a starting role for himself. Asking him to share the backcourt with Bledsoe has been an adjustment as it is, and demoting him to bench duty could quickly create another uncomfortable situation that has been too common in Phoenix over the last two years.

However, there are plenty of arguments to be made for Booker getting the nod at starting shooting guard, especially if the Suns are ready to fully invest in their young core.

Although Knight is currently the better player, that’s not saying much in comparison to a 19-year-old rookie — even one who became the team’s No. 1 option with half the team injured. Knight is a miserable defender in his own right, he’s not much of a playmaker, he turns the ball over too much, his shot selection is questionable at best, and on nights when he doesn’t heat up, his streakiness takes its toll.

Meanwhile, Booker is coming off a very promising rookie campaign — defensive deficiencies aside. He only averaged 13.8 points per game on the season, but he reached the 30-point threshold six times, put up 19.2 points per game after the All-Star Break, and showed signs of maturity far beyond his age at only 19 years old.

Sure, his efficiency dipped. But with Bledsoe, Knight and Warren sidelined, plus Markieff Morris being traded at the deadline, defenses were able to key in on the rookie and his efficiency slipped because of it. He only shot 34.3 percent from three-point range — his most trademark skill — but that was a byproduct of the defensive attention he received more than anything else.

Booker has already displayed an ability to manipulate pick-and-roll sets and act as a secondary playmaker. His shooting stroke is pure, which makes him a better fit at the 2-spot alongside a ball-dominant guard like Bledsoe. It won’t be long before Booker has sets run for him like Klay Thompson does as an off-ball cutter and spot-up shooter.

Knight is a flawed and injury-prone player, and despite his intelligence and benevolent work in the community, he seems best suited for a sixth man role. Why not jump the gun a bit, let Booker take his lumps as a starter, allow Knight to get his shots up off the bench, and let the losses pile on with the prospect of a top pick in a loaded 2017 NBA Draft class serving as compensation for it all?

He’s only played one year in the league, but Devin Booker has already established himself as the most exciting rookie the Suns have had since Amar’e Stoudemire. He could very well be a franchise player one day, but it remains to be seen if Phoenix is ready to make the ballsy move of starting him in Year 2.

Next: Storyline 3: The Rookies