The 2024-25 season was no doubt a frustrating campaign for Devin Booker.
With future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant on the roster, the Phoenix Suns had high expectations under former championship head coach Mike Budenholzer. Coach Bud replaced a different title winning coach in Frank Vogel, becoming the third coach in three years during the Durant era.
Unfortunately, nothing seemed to click under Budenholzer. The roster was too top-heavy with Book, KD and the albatross contract of Bradley Beal. The Suns finished the season 10 games under .500 and missed the playoffs — something that hadn’t happened to Book for four straight years.
Fast-forward to 2025-26, and the Suns are thriving with a retooled roster.
Despite being without Jalen Green for most of the campaign, Dillon Brooks — the other trade chip coming back in the Durant blockbuster from the Houston Rockets — has proved the culture changer.
Devin Booker praises teammate Dillon Brooks: ‘He takes his craft seriously’
Brooks is in the midst of a career year with the Suns. In addition to vaulting what was the league’s 28th-ranked defense by defensive rating a season ago to No. 8 in the league at the time of writing this season, the man otherwise known as “The Villain” is averaging a career-high 21.1 points per game on a career-best 44.6% shooting from the field.
His performance in his first year in The Valley even garnered All-Star buzz from former Suns MVP Charles Barkley and his “Inside” colleague Kenny “The Jet” Smith.
Booker, Brooks' new teammate who earned his fifth ever All-Star selection as a reserve over the weekend, also had nothing but praise for the former second-round pick and Canada native.
When asked on a recent Suns broadcast by color analyst Eddie Johnson about whether he’s been surprised by what Brooks has been able to do this season offensively, Booker said he was “surprised in the summer” when he saw Brooks’ expansive offensive repertoire. “You could tell he’s been working on his game.”
The work ethic Brooks displays clearly left a lasting impression on Book and other teammates.
“He takes his craft seriously,” Booker said. “Him and his trainer spend countless hours (in the gym), and it’s on display in front of the team. You know, he’s usually the first one in there, one of the last to leave. You know, he always has that mindset. He brings that competitive spirit to every game.”
Book added that what teammates and fans are seeing from Brooks is a product of that work ethic, right before Brooks drained a jump shot right on cue.
The mutual respect between Booker and Brooks has helped guide the team this season as they embrace roles as both team leaders and primary scoring options.
Brooks may not have been named an All-Star for the first time in his career, but his impact nevertheless has not gone unnoticed. He continues to raise the bar for himself, and that body of work is trickling down to the rest of the Suns during what’s been a remarkable turnaround.