There is no doubt that Devin Booker is the most beloved and important player currently on the Phoenix Suns' roster. But who is the second?
Can we suggest Dillon Brooks? With no clear young star on the rise and with Jalen Green having struggled with injury in his first campaign in The Valley, this feels like it's Brooks' position to lose.
Suns have chance to turn Brooks loose to see how good he can truly be
Which puts Phoenix in the unique situation of being able to hand the keys to Brooks more frequently and see what happens. For those who think that is a scary prospect, and in a lot of ways it is, can you come up with a better alternative for this season?
All signs point towards Brooks being extended by the franchise, which makes sense for both parties. But with the front office having already traded away everything of value that they have which they were willing to give up, improvement has to come from within.
What better way to do this than in 2026-27 by finding out if Brooks really does have what it takes to be an All-Star. He's a two-way menace who averaged over 20 a game last season and makes opponents pay from beyond the 3-point line. At 30-years-old he is currently in his prime too.
The Suns aren't exactly playing with house money having made the playoffs last year, but they are not on the slide the same way the Golden State Warriors currently find themselves.
Taking a step back would not be good in keeping Devin Booker engaged in The Valley, but he also needs help and Brooks can be the player to provide it. Outside of a Miles Bridges leap that nobody sees coming (and many don't even want him on the roster to begin with), this is the only way to improve on winning 45 games.
You can understand why the Houston Rockets and even Memphis Grizzlies before them were wary of featuring Brooks more each night. Brooks wasn't even supposed to be the best player they got in the Kevin Durant trade.
But the Suns may prove that both of his former employers missed a trick by not believing that the Canadian international could be a bigger star for them. He already proved he was up to the task last season, so imagine what he could achieve if he was given more freedom.
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