It’s like back in the day when people didn’t understand Devin Booker’s positive impact on winning basketball for the Phoenix Suns have more or less disappeared, but the final verification of the evidence should make it possible to settle the last stragglers.
Using the bubble as a turning point in organizational success in Phoenix, the Suns are 170-69 (.711) since the 2020-21 season with Booker in the lineup. Without him, they are 28-34 (.452) over the same period.
Over the same period, the difference in net rating with him is +6.2 and without him -1.1.
Because he’s the team’s best point guard option (6.8 assists per game this season) and arguably the best defender at the point of attack, his difference is obvious to the naked eye.
And as he serves as something of a savior of the franchise after being drafted in the heart of the dark times, his returns have always been a sigh of relief for me when watching the team.
Over Booker’s career, the Suns are 8-1 in games where Booker returns after missing more than three games in a row.
- December 26, 2017 after the Suns finished 3-6 without him: 32 points (9 of 21 FG, 11 of 12 FT), five rebounds and six assists (also in foul trouble) in 34 minutes; a +10 in a two-point win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
- February 14, 2018 after the Suns went 0-4 without him: 28 points (8 of 20 FG, 6 of 14 3P), five rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes; a -10 in a 10-point loss to the Utah Jazz.
- December 15, 2018 after the Suns went 1-5 without him: 28 points (10 of 16 FG, 3 of 6 3P), seven rebounds and seven assists in 36 minutes; a +2 in an eight-point victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
- February 1, 2021 after the Suns were 2-2 without him: 24 points (9 of 19 FG, 4 of 8 3P), one rebound and one interception in 31 minutes; a -1 in a one-point victory against the Dallas Mavericks.
- December 19, 2021 after the Suns led 5-2 without him: 16 points (6 of 15 FG, 4 of 8 3P), six rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes; a +32 in a 31-point win over the Chicago Bulls.
- March 9, 2022 after the Suns led 3-1 without him: 23 points (7 of 12 FG, 4 of 7 3P), eight rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocks in 33 minutes; a +31 in a 21-point win over the Miami Heat.
- February 7, 2023 after the Suns were 10-11 without him: 19 points (6 of 15 FG, 5 of 7 FT), four rebounds and six assists in 26 minutes; a -3 in a four-point victory against the Brooklyn nets; he then missed the next game but the Suns won again when he returned the next game.
- November 15, 2023 after the Suns were 2-3 without him: 31 points (12 of 22 FG, 5 of 5 FT), four rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes; a net-0 in an 18-point win over Minnesota.
- March 11, 2024 after the Suns went 2-2 without him: 27 points (11 of 22 FG, 4 of 4 FT), six rebounds and seven assists in 38 minutes; a +12 in a six-point victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
I didn’t count the first game of the 2018-19 season after he missed the last dozen games of the 2017-18 season because I didn’t think it matched the true search criteria, but the first match of the 2018-19 season Season 19 was a victory.
It was, of course, that 21-point win over Dallas, the first game of Deandre Ayton and Luka Doncic’s careers. Booker had 35 points on 12-of-19 shooting (6-of-10 3P) and seven assists in the blowout victory. So if we counted this game, it would be 10-2 for his returns.
For this team, Booker’s return to the lineup means another poison for defenses to choose from, less pressure on rotation mismatches, and an alpha return to the front of the pack. The return of a cold-blooded killer capable of making any shot, throwing any pass.
Although the Suns are capable of winning some regular season games and even some playoff games if Booker is not in the lineup, there is nothing to worry about as an opposing team unless Booker is there to complement the other pieces and make them stand out. their maximum.
Booker gives teams a reason to fear the Suns.
