There will always be Phoenix Suns critics, who are currently pointing at the face of the franchise and having a good laugh. However, he’ll laugh last.
True Phoenix Suns fans know what they have in Devin Booker, a superstar in the making. If the team hadn’t been so bad and the Western conference so loaded, he would have already made All-Star teams. He has the ability to score in so many ways, can be an unstoppable force at times and is the calm that’s helped fans get through the storm.
His defense has definitely not been the best, but he has shown improvement on that end. This year, his play making made a significant jump forward. He has improved every season in the league so far and the best part is he’s only 22.
He ranks 8th in the league with 26.9 points per game and 12th in the league with 7.0 assists per game. Only James Harden and LeBron James average more points AND assists on the season than he does. That shows what kind of company he is in.
The Suns are one of the worst teams in the league but it isn’t his fault. They don’t have a top flight team offense but it isn’t his fault. He needs help and he will eventually get it. Deandre Ayton has shown serious potential and it’s already coming out. With a good starting point guard and power forward, the franchise will take a big leap forward.
Critics are laughing now and putting serious doubt on Booker’s name. They may be laughing now but he will have the last laugh.
The season is all but over, with the team not really having anything to play for right now. However, Devin isn’t listening to that. In his last three games (all losses, sadly) he has put up 59, 50 and 48 points. That’s 52.3 points per game, which is absolutely insane. Yet, instead of getting serious props from media sources, he has gotten slammed by NBA pundits? Are you kidding me?
AZ Central recently put out a good piece, highlight all the negativity around Booker and the Suns through his latest games, where he breathed fire like a dragon (watch him Dragan Bender) but Phoenix lost. Check it out here.
"Paolo Uggetti of The Ringer wrote: “But the question remains: How much can we value scoring when it isn’t enough? And who is to blame for rendering Booker’s career highlights useless? For now, Booker presents a potential case of a “good stats, bad team guy,” … At some point, Booker may stop being seen as a victim of his circumstances, and instead be looked at as the cause of them.”"
That may be one of the best so far. While it “rings” some truth, it surely will not be the case. The bad play of the team does NOT fall on Booker. Again, true fans know what they have and who he is. He just came two points shy of joining Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as the only players in NBA history to have three consecutive games with 50 plus points.
He’s only 22-years-old, the team will get him help and despite what the haters say, he will have the last laugh.