The 5 best Phoenix Suns teammates Devin Booker has had.
2. Tyson Chandler
The other side of the Bledsoe coin here is consummate professional Tyson Chandler. Before there was Ayton and his flirtations with going elsewhere, there was the ever-dependable big man in Chandler, who was with the Suns between 2015 and 2019. In other words, he was the veteran voice in the ear of Booker from the moment he got into the league.
Chandler was past his best once he got to Arizona, and was 36-years-old by the time he left town and ended up signing with the Los Angeles Lakers. But what Chandler brought to a struggling team was championship experience, having been the anchor for a Dallas Mavericks group that shocked the league and won it all in 2011.
Having that kind of voice and leader for a young Booker was invaluable, and helped to mould him into the player that he is today. Chandler was the chaperone for a young core of guys which included Len, Archie Goodwin, Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss (even typing that list was painful…), which on reflection shows us just how little Booker had to work with in the beginning.
The Suns went an awful 68-178 in the first three years after Booker was drafted, and Chandler was there for all of that losing as well. A malaise can seep into an organization when they’ve gone on an awful run like that. Even more so when lottery picks such as Len and Bender flame out badly.
Throughout all of this Booker got better, and although Chandler can’t take the credit for all of this, he was a winning player who knew what it took to go all the way who was in the ear of Booker all of the time. He also allowed Booker to play with a big man who was always going to defer to him, and who was happy to clog the paint and rim run. A sort of dry run before Ayton came along.