Getty Kevin Durant (left) and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns.
The Phoenix Suns will come into the 2023-24 season facing the most pressure to win a title in the franchise’s history. One of the keys to that will be their All-Star shooting guard, Devin Booker. After an other-worldly showing in the 2023 postseason, Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report is picking the Suns’ star as a ‘sleeper’ to take home the 2024 NBA Most Valuable Player award.
“There are still plenty of voters who will resort to the “best player on the best team” argument in the right situation, and the Phoenix Suns could very well finish 2023-24 with the best record in the league,” Bailey writes.
“If that happens in spite of Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal failing to reach 60 games played (which might be likely, given the last four years), it will be because Devin Booker was lights out. Another season with around 27 points and six assists per game, but this time for a 60-win team, could be enough to get Booker the award.”
All Eyes on Devin Booker in 2024
The Suns have three All-Stars after making the blockbuster deal to add former Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal in June. Unquestionably, Phoenix has one of the most dangerous three-headed monsters the league has seen. But the clear leader of the pack is Booker, who had a coming-out party in the 2023 playoffs.
The former Kentucky Wildcat averaged 33.7 points, 7.2 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in 11 games in the 2023 playoffs. Even more impressive was his efficiency. The All-Star shooting guard shot a blistering 58.5% from the field, 50.8% from beyond the arc, and 86.6% from the charity stripe.
With championship expectations as high as they have ever been for the Suns, all eyes will be on Booker to see if he can lead his team to the promised land.
Suns Urged to Sign ‘Fiba Kobe’
The Suns’ training camp roster appears to be set, as there have been no signs of the franchise making any roster additions as they prepare to enter training camp in a few short weeks. But just because the Suns have added several noteworthy players during the offseason does not mean they should stop their efforts to improve their roster.
One name that has come up is former NBA shooting guard Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Some fans may turn their nose up at the thought of adding Hollis-Jefferson to a Suns’ roster that is already guard-heavy. Especially because when he last played in the NBA in 2021, he averaged just 2.5 points per game.
But so far in the FIBA tournament, he has looked like a completely different player, averaging 23.6 points per contest. Hollis-Jefferson has also reconstructed his game to look nearly identical to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. Luke Duffy on Fansided believes the Suns should give him a look.
“It is likely he could play for one of the rebuilding teams in the league — and put up some numbers in the process — if given the opportunity. But becoming a glue guy for a contender, after being told he did not belong in the NBA anymore, would be such a sweet redemption arc for a player who has played 319 games in the league,” Duffy writes.
“This Suns roster is one with superstar-level talent and enigmatic youngsters like Bol. If there is one place where “FIBA Kobe” is going to land back in the NBA, it makes the most sense that it would be The Valley, where he could steal the show in the spot minutes he would be given. To top it off, head coach Frank Vogel would even buy into his defensive intensity as well.”