Which NBA players face the most pressure in 2020-21?

1. Devin Booker

The line between an empty-calorie performer and a superstar-caliber player is much thinner than we think and Devin Booker showed us exactly why down in the bubble.

Finally blessed with a worthy cast of supporting characters, a pass-first floor general along with 3-and-D wings and an interior scorer, Booker propelled himself to a spot on the All-Bubble First Team by guiding the Phoenix Suns to a surprising 8-0 record in the seeding games.

An undefeated run, unfortunately, wasn’t enough to push Phoenix into the play-in tournament, but it did create heightened amounts of optimism for the Suns’ future. Much more than was present when the season shut down and they had just 26 wins.

The Suns could’ve run back their legendary bubble squad and put up a fight for a playoff spot. Then they went out and swapped Ricky Rubio with Chris Paul. They signed Jae Crowder to solidify their inconsistent power forward spot. E’Twaun Moore and Langston Galloway were brought in to provide shooting. Jalen Smith was drafted to back up Deandre Ayton. Re-signing Dario Saric and Jevon Carter fortify the second unit.

Now after all these additions to a team already on the rise, a playoff berth feels like a lock while a top-four seed doesn’t seem completely out of the question.

These high expectations are new territory for the Suns, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2010. More importantly, they’re uncharted waters for Booker.

He spent five woeful seasons as the sympathetic star who didn’t have the proper surrounding pieces to lift Phoenix out of the conference cellar. His elite numbers were irrelevant because they couldn’t push the needle on one of the leagues’ routinely worst teams.

Following years of drafting and an incredible offseason of activity, the Suns are finally in a position to do right by their franchise player and get him the team success needed to validate his individual greatness.

It’s on Booker to utilize it as best he can or run the risk of drifting even further from the notch below the superstar status his game has given every indication he’s destined for.