Valley of the Suns
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5 Reasons the Phoenix Suns Will Win 40 Games

By Jacob Troxell

Sep 26, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; (From left) Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe , guard Devin Booker and guard Brandon Knight pose for a portrait during media day at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; (From left) Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe , guard Devin Booker and guard Brandon Knight pose for a portrait during media day at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Phoenix Suns Devin Booker
Mar 12, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) drives in against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Suns 123-116. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

The last time the Phoenix Suns won 40 games or more was three seasons ago in 2013-14. Can they approach a .500 record this year?

The Phoenix Suns have a lot of problems to deal with.

Unlike recent seasons however, some of these are good problems. How do you find minutes for 3 talented rookies, plus Booker, plus all the other guards? They aren’t lacking for players deserving minutes.

The Suns have missed the playoffs for a franchise-record six straight years and are at risk of winning less than 40 games for a third straight year this season (it would be just the third time in franchise history it happened), but the latter will not come true for multiple reasons.

More from Valley of the Suns

1.) Devin Booker is more than just a shooter

The hype is real, but even more so is the talent. While Booker averaged just 13.8 PPG on 43.2 percent shooting, it is the improvement Suns’ fans saw over the course of the last 12 months that should have people in The Valley excited.

In his rookie campaign, Booker was given more minutes as the Suns’ season spiraled downward and out of playoff contention, which gave the 19-year old plenty of creative freedom with the basketball.

Not only did his usage percentage increase nearly each month (17.4, 15.3, 17.9, 22.5, 21.2, 27.2, 26.9), but so did his PPG (7.0, 4.5, 7.6, 17.3, 13.5, 22.4, 18.1).

All 16 of Booker’s 20+ point games came after the start of the new year, and by the time April rolled around, Booker was scoring in more ways than one.

Off the dribble, in the paint, on the break and of course from distance, Booker had turned into perhaps the Suns’ best scorer in a few short months.

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