Suns star sharpshooter Devin Booker continues to put up big numbers, but that hasn’t necessarily translated to winning during the course of his career, and one particular radio host has made sure to point that out.
The Suns, to their credit, have been the most surprising story in the Orlando bubble, posting a 7-0 record, and playing with a lot of energy and passion. They have a great chance to go undefeated, with a game against the Mavs on Thursday — a team likely on track to play without Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis in that particular contest, given that it has nothing to gain.
And Booker has continued to put up numbers, just like he’s always done throughout is career. He’s averaged 22.5 points in his six seasons, and that’s with the 13.8 outlier from his rookie season. Booker had his breakout season a year ago, and he’s averaged 26.6 points each game in both that particular campaign, and this current one.
But the Suns have still yet to have made the playoffs during his time with the team, and one particular radio host has taken note out of it. Phoenix last qualified for the postseason back in the 2009-10 season, and it’s hard to remember them being legitimately competitive. They’ve looked that way in the bubble, though, but it’s important to point out they’ve benefited from an easy schedule.
Fox Sports Radio host Ben Maller blamed some of that playoff drought on Booker, intimating that his stat chasing isn’t translating to winning.
“Is Draymond Green correct?” Maller said, as transcribed by azcentral.com. “Does Devin Booker have to get out of a Suns uniform? Must he leave Phoenix to have a legitimate big-time career? I actually say no to that. I’m actually going to push back against Draymond Green … First of all, if Devin Booker is God’s gift to basketball, which some seem to think he is, he’s hit some game-winning shots in his career, then I’m of the belief that Phoenix would not be in the current pickle that they are in with that losing mentality…”
That’s a bit of a strong take, but it’s fair to point out that Booker could be a bit better on the defensive end. Two-way players are much more valuable than guys that can simply score in this modern NBA.
