Booker’s off-ball ability is key to Phoenix Suns team building

The Phoenix Suns have a badly flawed roster construction centered around the lack of a point guard, but Devin Booker’s off-ball ability will help solve that.

The Phoenix Suns are in a bit of a situation. They’re filled with good pieces, but those good pieces include three small forwards and zero point guards. While that’s a problem that stands in the way of wins for now, it’s one that’s not necessarily as hard to fix because of Devin Booker‘s ability to play off the ball.

The Suns situation is a lot like that of the Philadelphia 76ers three years ago, when they drafted three centers and traded the worse two. However, even today, their roster construction isn’t ideal, and the Suns will want to be careful not to repeat their mistakes. That means putting assets into a point guard that will be a good fit next to Devin Booker.

Luckily for Phoenix, it’s a lot easier to find a point guard than an off-ball guard, and Devin Booker is essentially the perfect two guard. A point guard, based on higher usage alone, may be arguably more important, and the lack of a point guard is a huge reason for the Suns’ struggles. But it’s still an easier problem to solve.

A quick glance at depth charts around the league shows there are far more quality point guards than shooting guards. And that’s bound to continue, as there are far more top point guards coming through the draft than off-ball guards. Even better, just how good Devin Booker is make type less important: pretty much any style of point guard would be a compliment to Booker.

There’s been a lot of talk about Devin Booker playing point guard. There’s a good chance that actually would help the team win more games in the immediate future. But Booker isn’t a point guard, and the best (and most realistic) strategy for the Phoenix Suns to build a more balanced roster is to let Booker’s talent off the ball shine through and find a point guard elsewhere.