Phoenix Suns: 3 takeaways from 2018-19 season opener

1. It’s past time to accept Devin Booker as a superstar

If you’re still clinging to the idea that Devin Booker is overrated, that his defense outweighs his offense, that he doesn’t help the Phoenix Suns win or that he’s anything less than a superstar on the rise, it’s probably time to ask yourself why you simply hate Devin Booker.

It’s really the only explanation for not being on the bandwagon at this point.

For those who understandably didn’t watch much Suns basketball last year, Booker’s numbers when compared to his team record indicated an “empty stats” guy who didn’t actually impact winning. That would be an unfair assumption, however, as those who had to watch Phoenix flounder without him could tell you.

"“He’s our anchor,” Kokoskov said of his performance. “I’m not surprised, Suns fans are not surprised. That’s who he is. We just want him to be healthy, to be himself and to keep working hard. He’s a young guy who can improve in every part of his game.”"

After undergoing hand surgery a few weeks back, Booker returned to action about a week earlier than expected and was sensational in his 2018-19 debut, dropping 35 points, seven assists and four rebounds while shooting 12-for-19 from the field and 6-for-10 from downtown.

During his extended fourth quarter heat check where he dropped 14 straight points when the Mavs got within striking distance, Book was mostly playing point guard. That won’t be his full-time role to preserve his talents as a scorer, but the Suns may roll with him at the 1 to close out games depending on the situation.

"“Booker is one of the best scorers in the league and we will always play to his strengths and ability to score,” Kokoskov said. “When you have an ability to score and there’s two guys in front of you, then somebody else is open and you can playmake for other people. We don’t want to waste Book to be a facilitator, we don’t want him to look side-to-side, we want him to look forward and be focused on scoring and attacking the basket. “There are some stretches that we anticipate in crunch time when we’ll put our best offensive group on the court that he’s going to be the point guard, but we don’t want him to lose that identity and his strength, which is scoring for us.”"

Booker thrived in both roles Tuesday, tying his career high with six triples and finishing as a +22 in his 33 minutes — not bad for someone who’s been frequently accused of padding his stats in garbage time.

Were the MVP chants a bit ridiculous for a team that won 21 games last year? Sure. But then again, so were the spreadsheets comparing Booker to Andrew Wiggins. So were the people who have been sleeping on his offensive skill-set, and so were the critics laser-focused on every defensive flaw in his game.

Devin Booker has been the only good thing Suns fans have had for three years, and now that he may actually have some help around him and a competent coach at the wheel, fans are hopeful that Tuesday’s result was not just a one-time offshoot. They desperately needed a fun night like that, and Book delivered it in the way you’d expect from a $158 million player.

The good news is, Kokoskov still wants more from his franchise star, who was targeted on the defensive end and got into foul trouble.

"“He played really well and carried the team offensively, but he can be better defensively,” Kokoskov said. “He got into foul trouble, we were talking about his post defense, [those things] have got to be better. That’s part of the game plan. He’s the best offensive player, so teams are going to go at him and he has to be ready to defend too.”"

Devin Booker won’t be the first offensive-minded superstar to become one of the game’s premier talents despite his flaws on defense, nor will he be the last. The good news is, if Tuesday night (and all of last season) is any indication, he’s on the road to greatness.