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The conversation started with Devin Booker conceding concerns about the Phoenix Suns’ season-long inconsistency less than a week before the NBA Play-In Tournament starts.
“We’ve shown that we can play well and compete in spurts,” Booker told Sportskeeda. “But other times, it’s tough on us.”
The Suns (47-33) enter Friday’s game against the Sacramento Kings as the Western Conference’s seventh seed. With only two regular-season games left, the Suns trail the New Orleans Pelicans (47-32) by a ½ game for the sixth seed to ensure a playoff berth. Otherwise, Phoenix holds two-game leads over the Kings (45-35), Los Angeles Lakers (45-35) and the Golden State Warriors (45-35) for the No. 7 seed in the Play-In Tournament (April 16-19).
Yet, the conversation ended with Devin Booker exuding optimism that the Suns will avoid an early playoff exit amid two consecutive second-round flameouts following their 2021 NBA Finals appearance.
“I like our team versus anybody,” Booker told Sportskeeda. “If it’s a Play-In or a seven-game series, I’m with us.”
Why should Booker feel optimistic about the Suns’ chances?
Phoenix boasts a star-studded lineup that features one of the NBA’s most prolific and efficient scorers (Kevin Durant) and a dynamic point guard (Bradley Beal). In his ninth NBA season, Booker secured his fourth All-Star appearance by elevating his scoring, playmaking and leadership. Though most of the Suns’ payroll and attention goes toward Phoenix’s stars, the Suns have depth with an effective frontcourt passer and screener (Jusuf Nurkić) and three effective two-way players (Eric Gordon, Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale). After guiding the Lakers to the 2020 NBA title, coach Frank Vogel has both the basketball expertise and management skills to guide a team also expected to win a championship.
Why should Booker feel uneasy about Phoenix’s direction?
Just look at how the Suns have performed this season. They have missed a combined 241 games due to injuries, most notably to Beal (25), Booker (13) and Durant (seven). To account for those overlapping absences, Phoenix has featured 24 different starting lineups. Despite the team’s relatively balanced roster, Phoenix still places most of the burden on its three stars. Despite Vogel’s defensive expertise during his time in Indiana (2011-16), Orlando (2016-18) and the Lakers (2019-22), the Suns rank 14 out of 30 NBA teams in points allowed (113.4). Add it all up, and the Suns have never ranked greater than fifth in the Western Conference standings this season.
What does that mean for the playoffs?
“It’ll soon come. We will see soon,” Devin Booker told Sportskeeda. “Obviously, you want things figured out by now. But we’re in a position where it’s close to the end.”
Nothing captures the Suns’ inconsistency greater than their recent back-to-back against the LA Clippers.
Phoenix labored through a 105-92 home loss to the Clippers on Tuesday, a performance that Vogel called “probably the worst night of the season.” The Suns opened the game facing a 35-4 deficit. They trailed by as many as 37 in the first half. Despite Kawhi Leonard’s absence with right knee inflammation, the Suns hardly appeared invigorated to make up ground in the seedings race.
A day later, the Suns faced the Clippers in LA without Leonard, Paul George (knee), James Harden (foot), Russell Westbrook (hand) and Ivica Zubac (knee). The Suns sneaked out a 124-108 win, but the outcome hardly looked certain. Clippers guard Bones Hyland scored a career-high 37 points. LA took a 56-55 halftime lead after closing the 2nd quarter with a 20-4 run. The Suns needed Devin Booker (37 points), Beal (26), Durant (24) and O’Neale (15 points) to log a heavy workload instead of playing more conservatively on the second night of a back-to-back.
“I’ve been with teams that have gotten blown out in late regular-season games and have gone on deep playoff runs,” Vogel said. “We’re not happy with it. But it happened. We put it behind us, and remain confident in who we are.”
The Suns maintain confidence both because of their resiliency and chemistry.
Phoenix has not lost more than three consecutive games this season. The Suns overcame a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit against Sacramento in early January. That marked part of a nearly month-long stretch when the Suns won 12 out of 15 games that included a seven-game winning streak. From Jan. 22 to Feb. 8, the Suns set the NBA’s best record for most efficient field-goal percentage during a 10-game stretch (56%), a mark no other team has done better since the Boston Celtics shot 56.3% through 10 games in April, 1988.
How has Devin Booker rallied the Suns locker room?
During those ups and downs, Vogel has credited Booker for becoming more vocal during film sessions and timeouts.
“In the past, we had a super vocal team. So it was an ongoing conversation,” Booker told Sportskeeda. “The times that it gets quiet for us, that’s when times tend to go bad. So I try to assert my voice.”
Former Suns guard Chris Paul often led that charge, but Phoenix dealt him last summer eventually to acquire Beal. The Suns appreciated Paul’s direct approach, but former Suns center Deandre Ayton didn’t always respond well to constructive criticism. That partly explains why the Suns dealt Ayton to Phoenix as part of a trade for Nurkić.
Since then, the Suns have allowed Devin Booker, Beal and Durant to share ball-handling duties together. Team accounts have raved on how well all stars co-exist well because of their amenable personalities, basketball intelligence and ability to play both on and off the ball.
The result? Beal has posted his lowest scoring average in eight years (17.8 points per game), while eclipsing his career averages in shooting (50.5%) and assists (5.0). Durant has climbed to No. 8 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list while mirroring his career averages in points per game (27.2) and surpassing his career averages in shooting (52.4%) and assists per contest (5.1). Booker logged a 60-point game, two 50-point games and four 40-point games, all while remaining on pace to finish with a career-high in assists per game (7.0).
“When it’s the starting unit and all three of us are on the court, I try to have a facilitator mindset,” Booker told Sportskeeda. “But those guys cause a lot of attention. So, I try to take what the defense gives me. Then when they’re off the floor, I’m looking for my shot first. But I play best-available basketball. I try to get the best shot every time down.”
That mindset has helped the Suns produce a balanced offense that allows role players to flourish.
Allen (13.4), Gordon (11.1), Nurkić (11.0) and O’Neale (8.4) also have significant scoring roles. Vogel called O’Neale “a little things guy, dirty work guy and toughness guy” who moves well off the ball through screens and slipouts. Suns owner Mat Ishbia has said he considers it a priority for the Suns to retain Allen and O’Neale as free agents this summer, a comment O’Neale said “means a lot.”
“I’m just being myself,” O’Neale told Sportskeeda. “Guys have made it real easy for me to come in and play my game and be the person that I am.”
The Suns aren’t necessarily an elite defensive team. Yet, Durant has embraced that responsibility along with his heavy scoring load. During the Suns’ late-game struggles against the Clippers on Wednesday, Vogel relayed that Durant told his teammates, “It doesn’t matter what we’re doing on offense if we get stops.” Vogel has argued Durant should make an All-NBA Defensive Team for his ability and willingness to do just that.
“My mindset is to be perfect and I can fall underneath that,” Durant told reporters. “That’s pretty good for the team. When I’m in my stance and when I help my teammates out, I’m pretty good on offense, too. So starting the game with my defense is always something I try to hang my hat on. Obviously, it’s not going to go well every game. I get distracted on the fouls sometimes. But I’ve known over the years that if I focus on defense, the offense will come along.”
That hasn’t always been enough. The Suns have struggled in crunch-time minutes. Nurkic hardly offers the same rim protection as Ayton once did. Though Vogel has said he often points out highlight reels and mistakes on film and through practice sets, he has lamented the team’s inconsistency with executing a game plan.
That explains why Devin Booker has exuded both confidence and uncertainty about the Suns’ playoff trajectory.
“Ideally, you want things figured out. But you also want adversity through the regular season,” Booker told reporters. “We’ll take it right now. You want that hurt feeling when it doesn’t cost you a game in the playoffs or the Play-In. As long as it doesn’t happen once we get into our series, I’m happy with it. We’re learning from it.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.
