The Phoenix Suns will only go as far as Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton can carry them. Here are three goals for Booker entering his fourth NBA season.
A year ago, although Devin Booker appeared to be the future of the Phoenix Suns franchise, their best player was Eric Bledsoe, their head coach was Earl Watson and their general manager was Ryan McDonough. A year later, the only thing that remains true is Booker being the cornerstone.
Unlike last year, however, the Suns also have an accompanying centerpiece in Deandre Ayton. While Josh Jackson will still be trying to figure things out in his second season, Ayton and Booker look to form the promising 1-2 punch that will keep opposing defenses up at night for the next decade.
Under a new head coach in Igor Kokoskov, the Suns are determined to take the next step forward. However, as a mix of young, raw talent tries to figure out a new offense and mesh with the newly signed veterans, the team will need to rely on its stars to be more competitive in 2018-19.
Last year, Phoenix ranked dead last in overall record, point differential, offensive rating and defensive rating. This year’s team should be better, but unfortunately, the rest of the Western Conference is even more cutthroat than it was a year ago.
While the Suns supposedly added shooting, veteran experience and young cornerstones in the offseason, there’s still a glaring hole at point guard and the offense will heavily rely on Booker’s underrated talents on the offensive end. Bearing that in mind, here’s a look at what the 21-year-old face of the franchise should be aiming to accomplish this season.