Phoenix Suns: The pros and cons of starting Devin Booker at point guard

Pro: Good for the tank

No one on the Suns roster or coaching staff would ever admit this, but from a front office perspective, playing Devin Booker at the 1 would be a crafty-but-not-all-that-sneaky tank move.

Booker and Warren are good enough to carry the Suns to surprising victories on nights where they’re both clicking, which leaves the team’s current status in the tank race — No .5 in the reverse standings — in jeopardy.

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After what happened with Bledsoe last season, there’s no way in hell general manager Ryan McDonough could get away with asking Booker, Warren or anyone else to take a seat after the All-Star break again. Though he’s only been in the league for two and a half seasons, the clock is already ticking for a competitor like Devin Booker.

The Suns need to start putting real talent around him, and fast.

However, there’s no question this team is still at least a year away from showing real improvement in the standings. Phoenix is only 2.5 games ahead of the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks for the worst record in the league, and in a loaded 2018 NBA Draft class that includes Luca Doncic, DeAndre Ayton, Mohamed Bamba or even point guard Trae Young near the top, snagging one of those difference-makers would be a huge boost to the rebuild.

The Suns still need at least two of Josh Jackson, Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss to pan out along with that top-five rookie, but in order to get that highly coveted talent in this year’s draft, they might have to get a little creative to keep up with the league’s worst teams.

Not only is playing Devin Booker a more creative tank strategy than shamelessly resting healthy players, but it’s also a more useful avenue for #TheTimeline. Booker gets to sharpen another area of his game, the Suns struggle as he adjusts to the life of a point guard and the result is (fingers crossed) more favorable odds at a higher draft pick. Assuming the physical toll isn’t too great, the only real downside here is damaging Tyler Ulis’ confidence.

This isn’t the chief reason Phoenix should consider this lineup switch, but it’d certainly be a perk.