Phoenix Suns: 3 candidates for a breakout season in 2019-20

1. Devin Booker

Devin Booker belongs on this list because he’s right on the edge of breaking into NBA superstardom.

The 22-year-old guard from the University of Kentucky has blossomed into the face of the Phoenix Suns and one of the most prominent scorers in the NBA in a short time span. Not to mention, Booker has continue to raise his scoring average each of his four seasons in the league.

But while some include him among the league’s top shooting guards, others have been quick to dismiss him from the list.

That isn’t fair to either Booker or the team he plays for.

While Phoenix has struggled to find compliments around the guard, Booker has done the best he can in his situation. In four seasons, Booker has yet to win more than 24 games during the regular season, but that hasn’t stopped him from gradually improving each and every season.

And one place where Booker never wavers is in his ability to shoot the ball.

In 64 games last season, Booker averaged 26.6 points per game on 46.7 percent shooting from the field. Both of those were career-bests and displayed the type of player Booker can be on a consistent basis.

Some nights he plays like a top shooting guard in the NBA, other times he can be darn-near impossible to guard.

That included a three-game stretch last season, where Booker nearly reached 50 points. After putting up 59 on the Utah Jazz and 50 on the Washington Wizards, the guard managed only 48 against the Memphis Grizzlies.

In each of those games, Booker shot over 55 percent from the field and nailed 11 shots from deep over the three-game span.

It’s that ability to change a game and take over as the dominant scorer that makes Booker special. Some have even compared it to Kobe Bryant‘s Mamba Mentality. And should he follow in the Mamba’s footsteps, Booker could find himself a Hall of Famer in the distant future.

While Booker has dazzled in his first four seasons in the NBA, the 2019-20 could be the biggest of his career. And should the pieces fall together just right, the guard become the league’s next big thing.