Suns’ Devin Booker lands high on elite list before 2023-24 season

As we have stated so many times since the trading for Kevin Durant, a top three wing, and Bradley Beal, the Phoenix Suns have one of the best starting lineups in the league. It’s possible to say they have the best, with four guys having a real shot at All-Star status for the 2023-24 season.

A big reason why is because of Devin Booker, though, who the Suns got as a steal in the 2015 NBA Draft with the 13th overall pick. They have developed him into something special and have built a juggernaut around him.

But outside of people who cover or root for the Suns, many people don’t talk about Booker enough when the conversation about the best players in the league comes around. Booker, who is just 26 years old, deserves to be in any conversation.

Not only has he taken his team to the NBA Finals, but he has had to change his game several times en route to doing so. He had to become a playmaker and lead his team in assists rather than be an all-out scorer. Now, he can do both.

Finally, he has received some great credit for how he is viewed in the league. Bleacher Report came out with their list of top-30 guards in the NBA, and not only was he the No. 1 shooting guard, but he was high overall as a guard in general.

Suns’ Booker gets a high ranking from BR

The sports media page decided to rank all guards, shooting guards, and point guards, 1-30, and so you knew there was a chance Booker was really high.

Bleacher Report ranked him the No. 3 guard in the league, which is more than fair. Here is what they said about Booker entering the 2023-24 season:

"The Suns’ star guard averaged 33.7 points per game on 58.5 percent shooting. That alone gives him an argument for top-five placement in our Top 100. For an 11-game playoff sample size, Booker was arguably the second-best player in the NBA. Voters decided that was enough to get him into the top three guards but not enough to pass the two stars ahead of him on this list. —Akeley, Bleacher Report"

Booker was behind Stephen Curry on this list at No. 2 and Luka Doncic at No. 1. I’d say both are undoubtedly better than Booker. Both are considered the best players in the league year in and year out.

However, it’s great to see Booker get recognized with the two of them. It’s also great to see him get recognized as the best shooting guard in the league. This year could be different, and Booker could be more of a combo guard, but he is a shooting guard.

Not only that, but he’s the best in the league, too.