Suns have an unsolvable problem whenever Devin Booker sits

The Phoenix Suns were always going to be Devin Booker's team this season, for better or worse. Although fans are delighted to see him entrusted with the keys to the franchise once again, the manner in which he has played should be a cause for concern. The shot selection is way off, while there is a passive nature to his play that has carried over from when Kevin Durant was in town.

This was always likely to be a problem with the organization once again willing to go down the same path as before and have Booker be their lead creator and scorer. We already know how that ends, and it is not good for anybody involved. Until Jalen Green comes back from injury though, it's not like the Suns have a choice. The alternative trusting somebody like Grayson Allen to make plays regularly.

Suns are dreadful offensively when Booker sits with no fix.

Which is why it should come as no surprise to find out that - despite Booker coughing the ball up a whopping six times per game so far this season prior to the overtime loss versus the Utah Jazz - the team is awful offensively whenever he goes to the bench. When Allen is getting more reps than ever as a secondary playmaker, it is not hard to see why.

No single number sums up the offensive impact Booker continues to have than the fact that the Suns are scoring 7.9 points less than the 108.8 they've managed per 100 possessions when he is on the bench. That is good for the 19th percentile according to Cleaning The Glass, and it doesn't get much better from there.

Their effective field goal percentage drops to the 26th percentile (minus 2.8), although it is interesting that the team is taking better care of the ball without him out there. That's because the offense becomes a by committee event when Booker sits, it is just unfortunate that the same players can't also come close to replicating what the star does out there.

The return of Green will be interesting, because right now he looks like the only player capable of taking some of this burden off Booker. They're going to start together in the backcourt, but it also would not be a surprise to see head coach Jordan Ott have one of the two on the court always This allows both to revert back to being the natural scorers they are, while giving the team a focal point.

We haven't even gotten a particularly brilliant start to the campaign by Booker, and yet he is still the only guy who can routinely give them 30. The aforementioned loss to the Jazz that ended their three game road trip without a win was another such night, when Booker had 34 points in 44 minutes of action in the overtime defeat.

Unfortunately for the Suns, there does not appear to be a quick fix here other than hoping Green can take a leap as a playmaker and all round offensive hub. Guys like Allen and Royce O'Neale will give you elite 3-point shooting and the occasional big night - but beyond those anomalies - it is all on Booker's shoulders right now. The early returns when he sits have not been pretty.