Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker joins NBA elite in ESPN top 10

After so many impressive performances from early in his NBA career, gaining public recognition has long been a slow burn for Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker. Suns fans were always given a first-hand look at his scoring prowess, but it wasn’t until the franchise began winning that he truly began surfacing in high-level discussions.

Even then, many were quick to identify the addition and value of Chris Paul as the primary reason to Phoenix’s recent success. Make no mistake, this is Booker’s team, with his continual development realized in ESPN’s top 100 player rankings.

Phoenix Suns All-Star guard Devin Booker has joined elite company, ranked tenth in ESPN’s player rankings ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Booker went into the 2021-22 season ranked 15th by ESPN, yet unlike his All-Star backcourt teammate in Paul, the 25-year-old was able to elevate himself into the absolute elite tier of NBA players.

Although Booker and the Suns had a disappointing conclusion to the 2022 playoffs, writer Dave McMenamin was laser focused on all that the three-time All-Star had achieved in the year prior.

"“Booker’s ascendant year — an NBA Finals run, followed by an Olympic gold medal and leading Phoenix to a league-best 64 wins in the regular season — ended with a precipitous fall…But Booker’s 26.8 points per game last season ranked No. 12 in the league, further cementing his reputation as one of the game’s most lethal scorers.”"

Booker joins teammates Paul (21st), Mikal Bridges (49th) and Deandre Ayton (51st) in ESPN’s top 100, while Cameron Johnson could consider himself incredibly unlucky to be omitted from the list.

Some big name players joined Booker in ESPN’s release of their sixth to tenth ranked players. Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James came at six, followed by young All-Star forward Jayson Tatum. The face of the NBA offseason, Kevin Durant, was eighth, with explosive point-guard Ja Morant listed ninth.