If you've watched the Phoenix Suns play basketball this season - and you deserve a lot of praise if you've stuck with them through what has been a rough campaign - then you will know that this group lacks grit and intensity when matched up with a tough opponent. If the opposition doesn't just roll over and let the Suns get the looks they want, then they don't know how to break them down.
It's the reason why younger teams like the Orlando Magic - who won the season series 2-0 versus the Suns - were easily able to run them out of the gym when they played, and why tougher veteran groups such as the New York Knick are also able to quick grind them down. A depressing though, when you consider neither the Knicks or especially Magic are what you would consider truly elite.
Which is why it is painfully obvious this team misses Chris Paul.
Perhaps not even Chris Paul the player - because if you've watched the San Antonio Spurs this season - you'll know it is criminal that he continues to start over rookie Stephon Castle. That young guard will be an All-Star one day, and ironically he too plays with the kind of aggression and "I'm better than you and I'm going to show it" attitude that the Suns are seriously lacking.
But everything about what Paul used to bring to Phoenix left the moment they sent him packing. On the court he was still underrated defensively given both his age and size, but he was the conductor on a roster that made it all the way to the NBA Finals. Even if that diminished version of Paul is no longer around - and he really isn't - he has once again proven with the Spurs that he is a winner.
He is obviously not the reason they continue to sniff the play-in tournament - but much like his lone season with the Oklahoma City Thunder - Paul is a winning player who raises the level of everybody around him. Not that Kevin Durant or Bradley Beal don't do that on some nights - Durant certainly does - but Paul's ability to get everybody to buy into what he is doing is an amazing trait.
Thank you for everything, Chris Paul 💜 (✍️ @LucaLockheart)https://t.co/r1FOfSxesu
— Valley of the Suns (@ValleyoftheSuns) June 26, 2023
Which is why it is so worrying to see the malaise that Devin Booker of all people has played with for much of this season. Worse still, cameras have caught him smiling and laughing on the bench when on the receiving end of a beatdown, such as the one handed to them by the Indiana Pacers earlier this season.
We know basketball is a sport and we don't expect Booker or every star to sit stony faced if they lose a game. It's a long regular season. But that kind of attitude and laidback energy didn't exist when Paul was on the team. Back then Booker was a straight killer - it didn't matter the opponent - he was coming for you every single night. Just like Castle is now.
We can't give Paul all of the credit for this, and yet there is no doubt Booker's overall demeanour changed the moment the pair were broken up. It is also interesting that Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama - a star who actually tried in the All-Star game recently - appears to possess that desire to win that Booker once had. Almost like he stole it from him, Monstars style.
At the time when the Suns somehow turned the ageing Paul into Beal, they were lauded for being able to make such a move. In hindsight however, perhaps keeping what was the emotional heartbeat of a finals team would have been the better decision. Moving on from Deandre Ayton made sense, and Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson were necessary casualties to secure Durant.
But giving Paul the chance to run that version of the roster would have been so cool to see. If nothing else, Booker might still have the desire to impact every single game, something he does not have today. Now he appears cool with hanging back and letting Durant go to work, all while showing a nonchalant attitude to winning. Wouldn't have happened on Chris Paul's watch. He is sorely missed.