The Phoenix Suns began their season with a 41-point loss in Portland against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday, turning in the kind of performance that immediately made trading away their 2033 first-round pick for Miles Bridges look worse than ever. In the aftermath, Devin Booker tried to turn this humbling into a positive, telling the assembled media that, "This is definitely a wake-up call for us. I'm glad it happened early."
"This is definitely a wakeup call for us. I'm glad it happened early."
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) October 22, 2026
Devin Booker after Suns 124-83 loss to Blazers as they trailed by 31 at the end of one.
"Everything went wrong. We have a lot to learn from the tape offensively and defensively. I think they were killing us… pic.twitter.com/dkBKQx4512
Best time to be blown out is early according to Booker
What else could the franchise cornerstone say, having seen his side go down 47-12 after one quarter, than that the best time for this to happen was now so the team can get it right with so much of the season still in front of them? That doesn't make the manner of the defeat any easier, particularly against an opponent who had a former Suns draft pick play such an important part in their defeat.
The Trail Blazers are not one of the best teams in the Western Conference, and this was the first regular season game Damian Lillard and Ja Morant had ever played together. Their starting five had more balance than the Suns' unit, while the heavily discussed depth of Head Coach Jordan Ott's roster failed to show up.
Starting center Oso Ighodaro being reduced to a 15-minute cameo with hip soreness was far from ideal, and not even Tim Legler's favorite underrated player, Khaman Maluach, could do anything about the game quickly getting away from the Suns. Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin were also poor in what were their first games back since both signed new contracts over the summer.
Booker needs more from teammates as games keep coming
Much has been said by fans about Booker having lost a step, but he was one of the few players in what was a cramped offense that still managed to get his shots, as he has always done. What Booker now needs is his teammates to step up and contribute more on both ends of the court, or else he will end up with a worse supporting cast than Eric Bledsoe.
Much was made about the depth the Suns added this offseason, including getting veterans Pat Spencer and Duop Reath on two-way deals, but if they're not going to help, then there was no point in adding them. Better to give guys like Ryan Dunn more run. Even if that goes badly, the potential for him to grow into something more exists, whereas we know what Spencer and Reath can give this team.
It's a leader's response from Booker, but let's not pretend he had a choice. This is his lot in The Valley, and he has to be optimistic about it all working out because the alternative is his career quietly coming to an end in Phoenix.
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