Phoenix Suns: Is Gary Harris better than Devin Booker?

Supporting cast

Gary Harris had better players around him last year than Devin Booker did. That is a very, very simple fact. While no one would disagree on that, people will disagree on how that should affect our perception of them.

Should Booker be looked down upon because he slightly sacrifices efficiency to put up the numbers the Phoenix Suns require of him? Should Harris be punished for not putting up the same numbers when he doesn’t have the opportunity to?

Is it bad that Booker takes worse shots than Harris, or is it a positive because it’s a necessity and he still manages to make so many? Is it good that Harris can cut and finish so well off-ball, or does it mean that his efficiency depends on other’s skill instead of his own?

There isn’t necessarily a right or a wrong answer here, but here’s something to keep in mind: nearly every star can perform capable in a smaller role, but very few players are capable in a star’s role. This idea was briefly mentioned earlier, and it’s worth rehashing here.

Is it reasonable to assume that if Booker wanted, he could decrease his scoring by more than 7 points per game, and as a result increase his shooting percentages by a couple points. If he had a great passer and low-post threat like Nikola Jokic next to him, it would be even easier.

Conversely, it is far from a given that Harris could increase his scoring average from 17.5 to 24.9 points overnight and still maintain nearly the same amount of efficiency, especially if he was on a team as bad as the Phoenix Suns were last year.

The takeaway here is that, based on supporting casts (and the players’ respective roles in the context of their teams), Devin Booker has done a lot more with a lot less.

Supporting cast edge: Devin Booker