PORTLAND – Devin Booker switching from No. 1 to 15 in honor of his father, Melvin Booker, who wore that number as a player, could be viewed as a start to the second half of his career.
The five-time Phoenix Suns All-Star isn’t so sure about that.
"It feels like I'm on phase 3 or 4 honestly,” said Booker last week after their final preseason game. “I can barely even remember my rookie year, that situation and how I was thinking. Then the bubble year (2020). Then post-Finals. That's been tough. Back on the buildup again.”
Less than two weeks away from turning 30, Booker has gone from being the youngest player in his 2015 draft class at age 18 to one of the oldest players on his team.
Booker hopes he has many years left in his career, but he’s certainly
on the back end in looking to deliver Phoenix its first NBA championship.
Heading into the 2026-27 season, which begins Wednesday, Oct. 21, against the Portland Trail Blazers, Booker recently talked with the Arizona Republic about preparing for a season, handling praise, criticism and team aspirations.
Head coach Jordan Ott described your offseason as preparing for the marathon of an 82-game season. Is that how you see it?
Booker: “You never really want to get out of shape or get out of rhythm. Playing is the only way to find that, but I think you always get excited at the beginning of the season because you’ve been gone for so long, but you forget about the 82 games that you have ahead at least. It’s definitely a marathon.”
Booker always says all is well when it comes to injuries, even when it’s clearly not.
He didn’t look like himself last postseason against then-defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who convincingly swept the Suns. Booker shot poorly from 3, going 5-of-20. Lacked explosiveness.
The high energy he typically has in the playoffs wasn’t there.
People said, hey, it’s the playoffs. No excuses.
Fair, but keep in mind, Booker may be just turning 30, but he’s played 788 games and 27,328 minutes counting the playoffs. Only Alvan Adams logged more minutes (27,203) with the Suns.
That’s not counting two Olympic gold-medal runs. A lot of miles there.
Booker has also suffered his share of injuries that usually sideline him for lengthy stretches. He missed 18 games last season with a right groin strain, left ankle sprain, right ankle sprain and right hip strain.
He logged just 33.5 minutes a game last season, the second-lowest average of his career. The only time he played fewer minutes a game was his rookie year (27.7) in 2015-16.
With success comes fame, money and criticism. How do you balance it all?
Booker: “That's part of the game. You learn how to compartmentalize it. I think it's a big part of this game. I was never one to get too happy when things are going well or get too low when things are going bad. I know where my true intentions are with this sport. I know I don't skip any steps when it comes to it. I put the work in and just try to do right by people, do right by the game. Always pay homage to the ones that came before me. I listen and I learn. So, at the end of the day, I can live with that.”
Booker remains adored by most Suns fans, but he’s received more open criticism than ever, whether it’s on social media or just in general.
He's one of the NBA’s highest-paid players but not currently winning at a high level with Phoenix. Fans often bring up the record two-year, $145-million extension he signed in 2025 when criticizing Booker. ESPN NBA Insider Brian Windhorst said Booker is being paid like a “top 10 player,” but hasn’t been one the last couple of years.
Still, Booker averaged 26.1 points and six assists last season.
Booker is the highest-paid player ever in Suns history, earning $268,984,010. He’s stayed loyal to Phoenix through the rough times.
He led the franchise back from obscurity to being a championship contender again in 2021, but if the Suns continue to fall short of competing for a title, the criticism will likely intensify.
Where are the Suns as an organization in terms of returning to that place where you have another opportunity to win a championship?
Booker: “I know you hear it all the time, but with a newer group, I say it's our second year with the new guys, we just have to get better every day. I’ll use the (New York) Knicks as example last year. I don't know how many people had them winning a title at the beginning of the season, but you can click at the right time. You need a lot of things to go your way. Everybody knows that. People who have done it multiple times will say that also. You just want to keep the aura right. Keep the workspace right. Everybody like-minded and I think that's your best shot at it.”
The Suns continue trending towards having a younger team around Booker. They traded Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale, both in their 30s, to the Charlotte Hornets in acquiring Miles Bridges, who is more athletic and younger at age 28.
Seven of Phoenix’s projected 10-man rotation players are 28 years of age or younger with 7-footer Khaman Maluach just turning 20 last month.
This isn’t even counting 24-year-old Mark Williams, who will miss multiple months this season with a left shoulder injury.
The better those guys play, the less load Booker will have to carry.
Phoenix should want to reach a point where Booker’s ultimate job is to close games like 2026 finals MVP Jalen Brunson did in leading the Knicks to a title.
If that happens, the Suns may very well find themselves in a position to do the same.
Making the right roster moves and staying under that second league tax apron, as the Suns currently are, will help, too, but Phoenix’s championship hopes starts and ends with Booker.
As he likes to say, “It’s go time.”
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin by email at dmrankin@gannett.com or by phone at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Devin Booker addresses criticism, aspirations entering 12th NBA season
