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Should the Suns Be Worried About Devin Booker's Struggles Against Thunder?
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- Should the Suns Be Worried About Devin Booker's Struggles Against Thunder?
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The 2026-27 season is off to a rocky start for the 1-2 Phoenix Suns .
Factors behind a tepid start include three consecutive less-than-stellar defensive outings, shaky pairings within the starting lineup, and a potentially concerning third outing of the season from Devin Booker .
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Booker, 30 on Friday, came back from a 43-point showing against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday with a three-point effort against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
The light scoring performance came with just seven field goal attempts (two three-point looks) and seven assists.
Should there be concern about a growing trend of quiet games in Booker's catalogue?
Jordan Ott Gives Credit to Oklahoma City Defensive Arrangement
Ott brushed off questions around whether Booker was playing with an injury or not. He instead gave credit to Oklahoma City's defense in knocking Booker out of rhythm ( per Duane Rankin ).
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"That's what they do. They send you multiple bodies at different times of the game. Felt like there were three guys on them where he pass it out, whether we got an opportunity right from that, or the pass, pass, which we talked a lot about... He even had to handle a lot against the zone... Again, early in this season... we went with him as the playmaker that initiates the offense or in the middle of that zone a little bit of time. We'll take a look and fix it."
It certainly seems as if Ott is both crediting Oklahoma City's scheme, while also pointing to opting for Booker to take on more of a facilitating role on Monday. Whether this was the correct decision or not is up for debate. The bigger point of debate is whether Suns fans should be displaying concern or not.
Are There Real Reasons For Concern With Booker
While Booker is still averaging 23 points per game three games in, there are specific possessions that are being magnified to display concern in Booker's game.
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One includes Booker's inability to blow by OKC guard Jared McCain on a dribble-drive. The lack of burst off the dribble is concerning without even considering that the Thunder were without Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, and Jalen Williams.
Does Booker's dip in scoring efficiency/volume have to do with losing a step? Is it the Suns sticking with the "point Book" utilization? Does it have to do with opposing defenses becoming rapidly more athletic in recent seasons?
The truth likely rests in several explanations, although it's very challenging to see a world in which Booker strings together multiple games of this level.
Setting up teammates including Jalen Green and Khaman Maluach is a noble cause. It's also one that shrinks him to a shell of what he has the ability to be as a scorer. The prevailing belief is that the all-time leading scorer for the franchise is at his best when he is able to score early and often - particularly in off-ball actions.
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Yet another data point backing this hypothesis up came about in his performance against the Warriors. Now, it's up to Ott, Booker's teammates, and Booker himself to figure out how to get the best of the Denver Nuggets in NBA Cup action on Friday.
