Devin Booker looked relaxed during Phoenix Suns media day, and he finally uttered the words that fans in The Valley have been waiting years to hear him say. "Sometimes I fall into passing too much, and this year, hopefully I fall into shooting too much." Hallelujah.
Booker finally looks ready to grab control of offense
Booker was speaking to "Wolf & Luke on Arizona Sports" when he made the surprise admission, understanding he has been too quick to pass the ball in the past is just as important as saying he will be shooting more than ever this season. Having Kevin Durant on your team will do that to anybody, but it is high time the franchise and Booker moved on from that era.
There is reason to believe the superstar will do just that, with backcourt mate Jalen Green trending in the other direction and turning to Steve Nash for help on how to control the pace of a game the way top point guards are capable of doing.
We have been critical of Booker and Green's ability to coexist as guards in the past, and there is no doubt that both Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin are better fits next to Booker. But Green is the most talented two-guard the franchise has on the books, and his willingness to change his game to allow Book to get back to what he does best could unlock everything in Phoenix.
Booker's career high in field-goal attempts came back in 2021-22 when he put up 20.9 each night. He was an All-Star that year, and it came at a time when the Suns had been beaten in the NBA Finals the year before. In the 2022-23 playoffs, that number reached the highest point we have ever seen at 21.9 attempts.
Those numbers need to return, even if it means that Green, Dillon Brooks, and Miles Bridges are taking fewer attempts themselves. To his credit, Bridges already looks to be committing to defending at a level we have never seen from him before. Judging by what Booker said on this topic, we will be seeing that version of him in the coming weeks, which is exciting.
Booker is at his best when aggressive and assertive
Not since Chris Paul was in town has Booker been at his snarling and offensively devastating best. Instead, he took a back seat when Durant and Bradley Beal arrived, which in turn helped him become perhaps the best role player in Team USA history at the Olympic Games in Paris.
The Suns don't want or need that version of their talisman. They want a shooting guard who can admit he has passed the ball too much in the past, but that those days are now behind him.
This group won 45 games and made the playoffs last season with Booker in a passive mood and the team dealing with injuries to Green and Mark Williams. Imagine how good they will be with Booker taking whatever shot he wants again.
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