PHOENIX — What Devin Booker is doing is unusual.
The Phoenix Suns’ face of the franchise re-upped for two more years, taking him through his age-33 season and 15 years with the organization.
In the last 15 years, Booker has played in 673 games, the fifth-most for one-franchise players. Whenever a team falters or has to “blow it up” to start a new era, we are trained to anticipate that it will lead to a star player leaving, whether that is the team deciding to trade that player or the players themselves asking out.
Phoenix just did its version of that, sending away Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal while bringing in a new general manager and head coach. Booker is in the prime of his career, so it’s go-time right now. And yet, on top of the Suns showing no interest in trading Booker, he wants to stay.
This is not the trend. So, why?
“Guys moving around all the time and teams moving guys around, so it’s a partnership and it’s a trust and (owner) Mat (Ishbia) came in and understood the importance of how I felt about the city and how this city feels about me,” Booker said. “From being at the bottom and almost getting the job done, I have unfinished business here and I know how much it would mean to this city and this organization (to win a championship).
“That’s my job as a leader, it’s my responsibility of being a franchise player that I have to communicate to everybody the importance of basketball in this town and how serious I take it.”
Booker admitted to Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo that these last two years were the worst of his career, noting the difference between a rebuild with no expectations and failing to meet title aspirations so badly.
It is a new turn for that career now. For the first time, he is the unquestioned leader. That obviously places the onus on how he does that vocally, plus the example he sets on the floor and championing all of the margins the Suns want to thrive in after struggling massively in those previously.
On top of being easily Phoenix’s best player, a gap he has never seen of this size, Booker is also the most experienced. While he’s not the oldest on the roster, no one has more seasons in the NBA than him.
Booker takes all of that on for a much younger team. As always, he is aware.
“The leadership aspect is going to be more important than ever this year, just realizing our roster, the age of our roster and the experience that I’ve had and what I’ve seen,” Booker said. “I’m going to do what I can. I’m always going to use my voice, feel like I used my voice a lot last year too.”
Yet another badge of that leadership he will possess is as a point guard at times for the offense. Debate has swirled in the past couple of years as to how much the two-guard enjoys playing the part of floor general, and that will be integral to how he coexists with new teammate Jalen Green in the backcourt.
He cleared that up.
“I do, I enjoy it,” Booker said. “I think it starts with both of us with the ability to score. And once you become a threat in that regard, it’s going to open up easier opportunities for everybody else.”
Booker went on to say that a faster pace and playing through kick-ahead passes getting up the floor will partially make who is the “point guard” irrelevant. Phoenix, however, will still have to have a successful half-court offense like everyone else. And that starts with him.
Trepidation comes naturally hearing these types of things, given similar remarks were said the last two years, so the start of the season will tell us if this idea of him in this type of backcourt can actually function or if it’s time for the Suns to abandon that idea once and for all.
