Devin Booker made his much-awaited return for the Phoenix Suns after suffering a groin injury on Dec. 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
In his return game against those same Lakers on Dec. 15, Booker looked like he never left. He scored 27 points in 31 minutes, got to the free throw line 16 times, dished out seven assists and added six rebounds in a brutal two-point loss that prompted head coach Jordan Ott to call out the refs post-game.
Despite the officiating and the loss, that’s all good news, right?
Having Book back is unquestionably good news for a Suns team that’s defied expectations this season, but included in that return outing was a familiar blemish in the box score.
Booker finished 0-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. His 3-point percentage on the season now sits at 30.2% — by far the worst mark of his career. Equally concerning, that mark ranks Booker 162nd out of 168 qualified hoopers at the time of writing. We’re talking LaMelo and Lonzo Ball brothers territory here (they rank 167 and 168, respectively).
As a mid-range deadeye, Booker has never really been known as a 3-point sniper throughout his career. But his career mark of 35.2% from downtown is still leagues better than he’s been to start the 2025-26 season. That career mark would slot him tied with Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley at No. 121 on the 3-point percentage leaderboard instead of 162 where he sits now.
The emphasis on 3-point shooting in the NBA has never been more apparent. Teams league-wide are firing away from distance more than ever before, embracing a shot that’s gone from a novelty to a necessity. But for Booker, at least this season, the shot hasn’t been there.
Including that goose egg from deep against the Lakers, Booker has gone 0-fer from long range six times this season. He’s made fewer than two treys in more than half of his appearances this year and two or fewer triples in 18 of his 23 games played.
Again, 3-point shooting has never been Booker’s calling card, but it’s reaching a point now that we can’t chalk this up to small sample size.
Booker is attempting 5.6 3-pointers per game, which is his fewest attempts from long range since the 2020-21 season when he drained 34% of his triples en route to an NBA Finals appearance.
If he continues to convert less than a third of his 3-point tries, it might be time for Book to focus more exclusively on mid-range shots or drawing contact to get to the free throw line. Of course, the ladder option opens Booker up to more punishment which could land him back on the injured list — obviously something he should avoid.
The Suns and their fans should not be in full panic mode over Booker’s cold shooting from deep, but it’s a stat we should all monitor moving forward.
Can Book find the long-range stroke and snap out of his 3-point slump? Should he instead focus on catering his game even more toward 2-point attempts?
Fortunately for the Suns, there hasn’t been a correlation between Book’s outside shooting and winning. Phoenix is 3-3 in games where Book doesn’t make a 3-pointer and 3-2 in games when he’s converted three or more from beyond the arc.
That no doubt alleviates some concern, but it’s been jarring to see an otherwise phenomenal shooter sputter this consistently from 3-point territory for the first time as a pro.