Although the 2025-26 Phoenix Suns have hit a rough patch with Devin Booker sidelined due to a hip injury and Dillon Brooks nursing a broken left hand, there remains a lot to like about the retooled roster under new GM Brian Gregory.
Booker clearly feels the same, as a recent piece from The Athletic’s Jason Quick (subscription required) quotes Book drawing similarities to this year’s squad under first-year head coach Jordan Ott to the 2020-21 NBA Finals team featuring the Point God Chris Paul, polarizing center Deandre Ayton and “The Twins” — Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson.
Nobody from that supporting cast remains with the Suns. In fact, Book is the lone holdover from that Finals team. But the camaraderie the face of the Suns’ franchise has been able to build with fresh faces has him harkening back to a roster that nearly won it all.
In Quick’s piece, which serves as a deep dive into the relationship between Booker and Brooks since the latter was acquired from the Houston Rockets in the blockbuster Kevin Durant trade last summer, Book notes the camaraderie he’s built with “The Villain” and how that’s snowballed through the rest of the roster.
Devin Booker sees similarities to NBA Finals team with current Suns roster
“I see some similarities to the success of our (2021 NBA) Finals run team, where we spend a lot of time outside of (practice and games),” Booker said, according to Quick. “Even in our downtime, we are wanting to spend that together.”
Quick’s reporting breaks down Suns’ team-building activities during a team-wide August trip to Booker’s summer home in the elevation of Flagstaff, Arizona, which included card games and fire pit talks.
Booker’s appreciation for Brooks’ worth ethic is already well known. When asked by Suns color analyst Eddie Johnson about Brooks on a broadcast earlier this season, Booker said Brooks “takes his craft seriously” and is typically one of the first players in the gym and among the last to leave.
With the collective work ethic that Book and Brooks embrace, it’s not a shock that they’ve become close on and off the court in such a short period of time together.
“Watching him work, the way that he works, is second to none that I’ve seen in this league,” Booker said of his new teammate, according to Quick’s reporting.
Suns breakout point guard Collin Gillespie — coined “Villain Jr.” by Dillon “The Villain” Brooks — also weighed in on the bonds this Suns team was able to build in Flagstaff.
“It was special,” Gillespie said of the team-building retreat. “Great bonds, great relationships were formed. That’s Book being a leader, welcoming all the new guys. It was really important and crucial for the development of our team at that point.”
Gillespie also made a point to relay the bond that formed between Booker and Brooks, the two stars who’ve guided the current roster to a winning record.
“Both had great respect for each other after playing so many years in the league, so that’s part of it,” he said. “They have a really good relationship.”
Regardless of how the rest of the Suns’ season plays out, they’re clearly in a better place now than they were a season ago. Gregory deserves credit for the return in the KD trade including Brooks, a culture-changer who’s already developed a strong bond with Book and Co.
“I think friendship grows,” Gregory said, per The Athletic. “It’s early with them, but all relationships are based on trust and respect, and they have that with each other.”