Devin Booker solidified himself as a top NBA talent last season, but now—with the Phoenix Suns’ acquisition of Chris Paul—Booker is set for superstardom.
Here’s a fun exercise: Off the top of your head, try to name the three best teammates Devin Booker has shared the court with as a member of the Phoenix Suns. No, really. Just try it.
If our answers are somewhat similar, it means that some combination of a slightly overvalued Eric Bledsoe, a beyond-his-prime Tyson Chandler, a before-his-prime P.J. Tucker, the cadaver of Jamal Crawford, and an inexperienced Deandre Ayton round out our lists of either the best or most notable players that Devin Booker has had at his disposal as a member of the Phoenix Suns.
Of the five players mentioned, two are either retired or might as well have been retired come their time in Phoenix (Tyson Chandler and Jamal Crawford, respectively – sorry, Mr. Crawford). Eric Bledsoe was just shipped off to his fourth team, seemingly always struggling to fit within the systems he has played.
Deandre Ayton, though showing tremendous progress over his first two seasons, often displayed significant struggles as a rookie before missing nearly a third of his second season due to a failure to comply with the NBA’s anti-doping policy. And finally, P.J. Tucker, despite the credit he has received as an extremely important cog within the Houston Rockets’ system, wasn’t yet the P.J. Tucker that we unanimously respect today.
Honorable mentions for this list include: Markieff Morris, Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre Jr., T.J. Warren, and Mikal Bridges.
So yeah, to put things lightly, Devin Booker’s supporting cast throughout his career has, for the most part, been anything but supportive.
Devin Booker has thrived with the Phoenix Suns in spite of his supporting cast
Yet somehow, Book’s consistent lack of help has actually been a bit of a blessing in disguise for the Phoenix Suns; The organization’s failure to surround their star with viable teammates has allowed the 24-year-old to develop into one of the 20 best players in the NBA as an explosive scorer, a consistent playmaker, and a leader of men. On the other side of the coin, the Suns have obviously failed to make the playoffs in each of their rising star’s first five seasons, mostly due in part to the exact reasons mentioned above. In a paradoxical sense, the Suns have both wasted Booker’s younger years with mostly terrible decision-making while simultaneously aiding in the growth of his rising superstardom by throwing him the keys just weeks into his career.
Because of the many team-building blunders that Suns owner Robert Sarver has orchestrated over the past half-decade—that, and fears of both remaining perpetually out of contention and eventually losing Booker through either free agency or a future trade demand, of course—the Phoenix Suns, with all of their organizational ineptitude set aside, almost certainly had to understand that taking a swing for the fences was no longer just an option. With Devin Booker entering the prime of his career, that homerun at-bat had become a necessity.
Enter: Chris Paul.
The deal sends Chris Paul and Abdel Nader to the Suns for Kelly Oubre, Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a 2022 first-round pick, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 16, 2020
In a similar situation to that of his in Oklahoma City last season, Chris Paul was brought in as a member of the Phoenix Suns to do what so few superstars are willing to do at the twilight of their careers; Elevate a young, inexperienced team to new heights. If last season was indicative proof that Paul can orchestrate a team past their potential, this coming season will be wrought with lofty expectations that the Phoenix Suns—still riding the high of their perfect record within the NBA bubble—can finally relieve themselves of their decade-long misery.
Fortunately for the Suns (who were forced to part ways with Ricky Rubio, a budding Kelly Oubre Jr., two young players, and a 2022 first-round draft pick to obtain the future Hall-of-Famer), Paul has proven over the past three seasons that his style of play can mold seamlessly with other high-caliber guards while simultaneously raising his team to a higher plane.