Devin Booker’s 10th Season: What historic feats could he achieve next?

Devin Booker begins his 10th season with the Phoenix Suns This season. 10. A decade. It goes by too fast, doesn’t it? It’s rarefied air indeed. In an age where players hop from team to team like frogs to lily pads, that should be respected. Cherished. Appreciated.

When Devin takes the court on Oct. 23, he will join the elite ranks of Suns legends: Alvan Adams, who was a cornerstone for 13 seasons; Kevin Johnson, the electrifying point guard for 12 seasons; Walter Davis, the soft-shooting “Greyhound” for 11 seasons; and Steve Nash, the maestro who orchestrated the offense for 10 seasons.

These players didn’t just play, they embodied the Suns’ legacy, shaping the franchise’s identity over the years. Devin’s decade-long reign will etch his name alongside these icons, marking him as one of the few who truly defined what it means to wear a Suns jersey.

With so much time gone by, milestones are sure to come during the 2024-25 season. Booker enters the year already ranked in the top 10 of 21 different categories on the Phoenix Suns Career Leaders Page at Basketball-Reference. Are you ready for this?

Assists, defensive rebounds, field goals, field goal attempts, missed fields, fouls, free throw attempts, free throw percentage, free throws, games, minutes, offensive zone plus/minus, offensive win shares, points, points per game, three-point field goal attempts, three-point field goals, turnovers, two-point field goal attempts, two-point field goals, usage percentage.

Some stats are interconnected, while others aren’t so flattering. Fifth in turnovers? Well, when you play long, your name is bound to be mentioned in the totals, for better or worse.

Devin is looking to move up the ladder in some key categories this season, which will make the 2024-25 season a truly special one. Based on his past performance, Booker has the opportunity to take the next steps.

Games played: 598

Alvan Adams leads the Suns in scoring with 988 games played, so Booker is 60 percent set to miss out on Double-A. We don’t give Adams enough credit for his time in Phoenix and his durability. He averaged 76 games played per season during his 13 years with the Suns.

Booker has a 66.4 GPA

Based on that number, Booker should pass Alvin Scott (627) this season to move into seventh place all-time in games played. If he can play 63 games, he will pass Martix (660) and secure his spot in sixth place. Next season will be the big jump, as he can pass Kevin Johnson (683) and Dick Van Arsdale (685) for fourth.

Assists: 2,993

The Suns franchise has been blessed with a who’s who of Hall of Fame-level distributors. From Nash’s magic, to KJ’s explosiveness and Jason Kidd’s vision, to Chris Paul’s precision, Stephon Marbury’s flair and Dick Van Arsdale’s old-school craftsmanship. The list reads like a love letter to the elite of playmakers. And it keeps growing.

Devin Booker currently sits sixth on the Suns’ all-time assists leaderboard with 2,993. He’s 199th all-time in NBA history, for those who care, just behind Marc Gasol (2,996) and Bob Lainer (3,007).

While not primarily a facilitator, he has taken on that role several times throughout his career, including last season, when he averaged a career-high 6.9 assists per game (one gigabyte). Over the course of his career, Book has regularly dished out 5.0 assists per game.

Booker could well surpass Jason Kidd’s 3,000 assists with Phoenix on opening night against the Los Angeles Clippers. It won’t take him long to surpass Jason Kidd’s 3,011 assists with Phoenix. Granted, Kidd did that in half the time (5 seasons, 309 games). That would put him in fifth place, next to Walter Davis’ 3,340 assists.

To move into fourth place, Devin would need to accumulate 348 assists this season, something he has done three times in his career (2018-19 with 433, 2019-20 with 456 and 2023-24 with 472).

Defensive rebounds: 2,065

I don’t know if you’d classify D Book as a rebounder – he’s averaging 4.0 total rebounds in his career. But 3.5 of those are defensive in nature, and his 2,065 rebounds rank 6th in Phoenix Suns history. He’s averaging 229.4 total defensive rebounds per year in his career, with his career-high 297 coming in 2021-22.

If Booker can maintain his 229 defensive rebounds average this season, he will move into sixth place all-time, surpassing Mark West (2,204 in eight seasons) and Deandre Ayton (2,223 in five seasons).

Points: 14,529

That’s it. The Mack Daddy of all stats for the Phoenix Suns. The top of the mountain. The Holy Grail.

Walter Davis last played for the Suns on April 24, 1988. When he scored his final point with Phoenix, his career points total stood at 15,666, a record that stood for decades. Until Devin Armani Booker came along and started rewriting the record books.

Booker is 1,137 points shy of the Greyhounds’ franchise record. To put it in perspective, if Devin scored that many points this season, it would be the second-lowest of his career. He’s averaging 1,614.3 per season.

If you use Booker’s career average of 24.3 points per game, it would take Devin 47 games to pass Walter Davis.

As Booker looks to make his mark in history, fans should prepare for a season that can only be legendary. His journey is a lesson in dedication, consistency and excellence, qualities that will ensure he’ll be alongside the Suns’ best.

And who knows? Maybe he’ll add the most important statistic to his basketball reference page: NBA champion.