Phoenix Suns fans may fondly recall the days when All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire was on the court. He played for Phoenix from 2002 to 2010 and had some really great seasons, making the All-Star Game five times and helping the Suns reach the playoffs a number of times alongside star point guard Steve Nash.
Stoudemire retired close to a decade ago, but he still keeps his eye on what the Suns are doing and gave his thoughts on the current iteration of the team in a recent interview with DJ Siddqi for Covers.com. He shared his opinions on both Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks, the two biggest stars on the Suns.
This is what Stoudemire had to say of Booker: “Book kind of has a ‘Big Dog’ Glenn Robinson type of game. He kind of got a Glenn Rice type of game. You know what I’m saying? Where he’s smooth off the dribble with the pull up, got a great shot, but yet he’s also competitive. You know what I’m saying.”
Those are both interesting comparisons from Stoudemire. Neither Robinson nor Rice were necessarily superstar players, but they were solid All-Stars who went about their business and put up consistent numbers similar to Booker.
Booker has been with Phoenix for over a decade now and while he may not be considered one of the best players in the NBA, he is incredibly reliable and has, like Stoudemire, been an All-Star five times while with the Suns. He’s averaged 25-27 points per game ever since 2017 and his shooting percentage has remained fairly consistent as well. He’s the undisputed star of the Suns and there’s a good chance he will be able to lead them back to the Play-In at the very least this season.
Stoudemire loves Brooks’ competitive spirit
As for Brooks, Stoudemire was similarly complimentary: “I like Dillon Brooks, man! I like the competitive atmosphere that he brings to the game. That’s what the game needs. The game needs that type of competitive information that he gives over to players and kind of agitates a bit. Because what happens is you create that competitive spirit, and it makes you play harder, makes you play better, brings the best out of you.”
Some might consider Brooks a “dirty” player given some of his past incidents, but he is cut from the same cloth as someone like Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green. They both know how to annoy and aggravate opponents just like Stoudemire said. Brooks is a solid player, but he is also willing to play the heel and be the villain if it means that he can throw opponents off their game just a little bit.
That strategy may not make him especially popular with other teams, but he clearly does not care. The NBA absolutely needs guys like him who aren’t afraid to be the bad guy and it definitely seems like he and Booker together are able to balance one another out on the court when needed even if questions have been raised about team chemistry.
Stoudemire is a legend and when he talks many Suns fans are going to listen so it has to be nice to hear that he is high on both Booker and Brooks.
Suns Legend Amar’e Stoudemire Gets Real On Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks