3 Takeaways From Devin Booker in Return with the Phoenix Suns

Takeaways From Devin Booker in Return with Phoenix Suns: Nobody Inspires Like Booker

With his dynamic skillset and on-court swagger, Booker pumped life into the Suns for many years during their darkest days as a franchise. So with that, it makes sense that his return to the lineup last night inspired the Suns exponentially.

Obviously, the game’s free flowing nature as an easy dub for the Suns played into this, but even before Phoenix’s lead blew up, the team looked piping hot and excited while running with their star pupil again.

They managed to go 5-2 without Booker, even pulling out tough wins against the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs. As a team enjoying a solid run nonetheless, they still looked engaged and enthusiastic during their games without Booker, but when he returned last night, things felt different. Players looked visibly amped up, yelling, smiling, and high-fiving from buzzer to buzzer.

Without question, Booker means a great deal to this team not just from a production standpoint, but also from an emotional one. Even with Chris Paul flirting with MVP consideration again, Deandre Ayton eyeing an All-Star bid, and Cameron Payne turning it up over the past few weeks, Booker remains “the guy” for the Suns, and with that, he animates them like no one else.

Going forward, you love to insert a guy with that much power back into your lineup. Across all fronts, the Suns feel complete with Booker back now.