Devin Booker remains sidelined after rolling his right ankle on the foot of Onyeka Okongwu against the Atlanta Hawks on January 23. We still do not have a firm return date, though a reevaluation should
be coming any day now. That has naturally shifted the conversation to one central question. Who should take on a larger role with Booker out?
We asked that earlier in the week, before the Suns faced the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers, two games in which Dillon Brooks averaged 33.5 points. That matters, because the idea of who should take on the role is not always the same as who actually does. So far, the answer on the court has been Dillon Brooks.
The community saw it differently. 63% voted for Collin Gillespie to take on a larger role with Booker out, and the logic tracks.
Someone has to absorb Booker’s shot diet, which sits at 18.4 attempts per game. Brooks was already hovering near that number, averaging 17 shot attempts per night before the injury. Gillespie, on the other hand, was at 10.6.
Since Booker went down, the numbers have barely moved for Gillespie. Over four games, Brooks is up to 18.5 shot attempts per game, while Gillespie sits at 10.7. The role has expanded for one player, and it has largely stayed the same for the other.
The hope is that this question becomes a moot point because Devin Booker should be back sooner rather than later. With the All-Star break looming, however, there is also a built-in opportunity for extra rest if the medical staff feels he is not quite ready by then. Eight days are baked into that break, essentially an extra week to heal and reset.
The real answer, though, feels collective. Everybody has to pitch in, and so far, everybody has. In the latest win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, seven Suns scored in double figures. That is the blueprint. You do not replace Devin Booker by piling more responsibility onto one set of shoulders. You replace him by sharing it, moving it around, and taking it on together as a team.
