Devin Booker kicked off his 12th season for the Phoenix Suns with a new number, but just as cool and as confident as ever.
As Booker approaches his 30th birthday in October, he has accomplished a lot in his career, but there is still a lot left in the tank.
“I love the game more than ever,” said Booker during his media day press conference. “Honestly, my body feels better than it’s ever felt going into a training camp. So, I think, you know, as you get older you know, you learn new ways to train, new ways to take
care of your body… I’ve been a sponge to, you know, a lot of guys that have had success and played a lot of years in their career.”
Last year, Booker played in just 64 games and averaged 33.5 minutes per contests, both his lowest marks since his rookie season. No matter what version of him we get this season, the Suns need him healthy and confident to be the best team they can be this year. His level of play and status have fallen in the NBA player hierarchy, but the Suns cannot function without him in the lineup.
Because the Suns brought back almost the entire roster from last season, Booker expects more success and growth from the team this season.
“I’m excited about it. In the past, you know, I’ve been more successful; the team has been more successful when you know, we know what to expect going into the year,” said Booker.
“We’re coming in all with the same mindset to win. So time will tell, but you know, it’s definitely gonna be nice seeing some familiar faces back, with the same coach. We’re all on the same page. This summer was a big summer for us to keep all the same guys in the same building.”
For Booker, Jordan Ott is only the second head coach he has played consecutive seasons for in his career, with the other being Monty Williams. That alone, plus bringing back most of the roster, puts the Suns and Booker in a better position to begin the season strong.
“We got together a few times, you know, as a full team,” Booker said. “You know, I know Dillon [Brooks] had about half the guys in Toronto too. We all met in Vegas. We all were in Flagstaff, and you know, this past month we’ve been running a lot of open gyms, probably three times a week in the facility… There isn’t an off season anymore. You know, we’ve been building; we’ve been getting that chemistry together.”
For Booker, Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, building chemistry together is vital to the Suns’ success this season, with the trio only playing in 10 regular season games last season. Throw Miles Bridges and Khaman Maluach into the mix, and there is still a lot of untapped continuity for this team to figure out.
As for Maluach and Booker’s chemistry, the two have been working together this offseason to figure it out.
“You know, we would end up being in the gym at the same time late night, and then one time he just texted me and was like, you know, can we get some work in together?” said Booker. “So, you know, I think that that guard and big relationship is super important, and you know, he’s way ahead of the curve.”
With all the Suns’ offseason work and hours together, they need to start fast and start healthy.
“To start the season, we’re gonna be definitely ahead of where we were to start the season last year,” said Booker.
“We have to remain healthy, and you know, we’re gonna get that chance to, you know, like I said, start this season off more on the same page than we were last year.”
Booker and the Suns have the chance to hit the ground running this year because of their depth and continuity, and the Suns franchise player has been leading the way all offseason.
