Phoenix Suns top 10 players of 2024 - Number 2

We've now officially turned the page to 2025, but that doesn't mean we can't take one final look at the last 12 months for the Phoenix Suns. A year that promised so much, yet somehow ended with not a single postseason win and a head coach in Frank Vogel who was unsurprisingly relieved of his duties.

In counting down the top 10 players of the last year, it speaks volumes that Bradley Beal could only managed fifth spot. The organization's third best player - and who crucially possesses a no-trade clause - being outshone by a role player who only joined the franchise in the offseason.

In a razor thin decision, it is Devin Booker who finishes second here.

Harsh as it may be, it was actually playing for Team USA in 2024 that ultimately cost Booker top spot here. That and a willingness to defer to Kevin Durant whenever the occasion called for it, although that kind of attitude is exactly why this duo has worked in The Valley. Nevertheless, the "I'll Do It" persona of Booker during the Olympics crept into the 2024-25 season.

There were times when he took over sure - and they usually happened when both Beal and Durant were injured - but when fully healthy, there was a passiveness to Booker's play despite clearly being a superstar who is only now entering his prime. He's also the franchise cornerstone, and without him Durant and Beal wouldn't even be in Phoenix.

There is no shame in finishing runner-up here, and the only other aspect of the last 12 months that dinged Booker here was the inability to play as many games as the organization needed from him. In what is a worrying development, Booker has now not played more than 70 games in a season since 2019-20, the first time he was named an All-Star.

In 2023-24 that trend continued, and his 68 games played was less not only than Durant's 75 - one of the reasons he finished second to him here - but also fewer than Grayson Allen and the often-injured Jusuf Nurkic. His 27.1 points per game equalled that of Durant, although in the postseason as Booker so often has, he upped that production to 27.5 points.

Not helping Booker's cause during this period was the fact both he and Beal were expected to act as point guard for periods of a game, although the 6.9 assists he managed last season was a career high. The six assists in the postseason sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves was also easily a team high, and not the best use of Booker's incredible talents either.

Really then it was a combination of injury to himself, his teammates and being asked to play in a differnt way by a new head coach which came together to ensure Booker wasn't at his absolute best across the last year. So far this season, a mix of passiveness and a left groin strain have again meant we haven't seen the best of the 28-year-old.

Then again, he is without doubt the best player the organization have. In 2025 he will become the Suns' all-time leading scorer, and there is reason to believe he can have another memorable postseason outing. A championship remains far away, but that doesn't mean fans shouldn't enjoy Booker for what he is.

With an actual point guard in Tyus Jones now on the roster - if Beal could just come off the bench - we may then see Booker at his apex again. Running the show as the offensive focal point, but allowing Durant to close games when the situation calls for it. Devin Booker being the second best Sun of 2024 isn't meant as a slight, it is more a sign that outside factors held him back.