Happy Birthday, Devin Booker! Friday marks his 30th trip around the Sun. For most of the last 12 years, the Suns have been rotating around him. Fans have shared the rise, endured frustrating times together, enjoyed unbelievable moments, and lived an NBA Finals run. That run was SO close, up 2 games to nil for a title.
Phoenicians have enjoyed him as a pillar in the community and a true face of the franchise. Nearly every true Suns fan at some point has closed their eyes and pictured him hoisting the Larry
O’Brien Trophy with purple and orange confetti falling from the rafters. We want this for him. For us.
In recent years, frustration murmurs have grown louder, with playoff losses and stretches where his level of play disappoints. I’m unashamedly a superfan, wearing his shoes and other name-branded sportswear. Yet I found myself coming down hard in my game recap after the most recent game. Our relationship with sports stars, much like family or friends, can get complicated. In this article, I’ll focus mostly on what he’s accomplished in those 30 years, with a peek into his role now and in the years to come.
Devin Armani Booker was born October 30, 1996. With DNA and motivation from his dad, a former All-Big 8 player, he quickly ascended as a youth player. At 15, he attended (and got quite a bit of attention) at LeBron James’ youth camp.
From there, he became a freshman 6th man on a 38-1 University of Kentucky team that included nine future NBA players headlined by Karl Anthony Towns. Then Suns GM Ryan McDonough selected him 13th in the 2015 NBA draft. It didn’t take long for him to make a name in the NBA, scoring 13.8 points per game as an 18-year-old rookie. The roster was thin during those first few seasons, but kept developing and improving. As a 20-year-old, he dropped 70 on the Celtics.
Those first four seasons all included 58 or more losses. Devin infused hope with his scoring (by then up to over 26 points a night) and basketball skills. With the arrival of a veteran point guard (Rickey Rubio) and a motivational coach (Monty Williams), and several promising young players, the COVID season represented a turning of the tide with a run in “the bubble” epitomized by this iconic shot by Booker.
Booker was becoming a true star. With Chris Paul’s arrival, his game and the team’s took that leap. In 2020-21, he led a playoff run that included four 40-point games and a trip to the NBA Finals. The next year, Book averaged 27/5/5, and the team went 64-18! That may have been the high point on his stock. He was voted first-team All-NBA and finished fourth in the MVP voting. After an opening-round playoff series win, Phoenix was ousted via a blowout 123-90 by the Dallas Mavericks. While that loss was a team effort, Devin shot 3-14 and got his first significant round of criticism.
He continued to contribute strong play at 27.8 points per game in 2022-23. In February of that season, Mat Ishbia took ownership of the team and immediately made the blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant. From KD’s layup line injury in his first game until the end of that era, the vision was never fully realized, but there were moments. In a full season together, Booker put up a career-high 9.2 win shares in spite of missing 14 games. The two stars teamed up and played key roles on the 2024 USA Basketball Gold Medal team, with Booker famously offering the “I’ll do it” quote in reference to doing all the little things on that team.
In February of 2025, he became the Suns’ all-time leading scorer. The team unraveled under Mike Budenholzer in 2024-25 to finish 10 games under .500, leading to a massive trade that sent KD packing and brought us to much of the current roster construct, including starters Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, and youth in Khaman Maluach/Rasheer Fleming. That core plus several excellent additions flourished early last season under new head coach Jordan Ott, and Booker continued his high-scoring ways at 26.1 points per game, drawing a career-high 8.1 free throws per game as well.
In spite of a drop in three-point percentage these past two years, Book has always been a high-level scorer. He’s also been an excellent playmaker, soon to rank third in Suns history in assists behind two legendary pure point guards (Steve Nash, Kevin Johnson). What a career for someone who is 30! Devin, you’ve been a source of great pride, avoiding off-court embarrassments, saying the right things, giving countless special moments, connecting with fans, and initiating his Starting Five Foundation in 2019 as a significant way to give back to the community.
Thus, the ghost of “Booker Past” shines a far brighter picture than what Scrooge saw in the Christmas classic. What about “Booker Present”? The current roster is searching for its mojo. We’re only 3 games in, but there were troubling signs in the preseason. John Voita wrote about how the roster around Devin is not currently ideal:
Problems are magnified with two starting-level centers out with injury. Three games are indeed not a significant sample. There are troubling signs. Booker has played under 8 coaches and with well over 100 teammates — some good, some definitely not. Through all of that, he has consistently put up high-scoring seasons and good passing statistics. I believe that will continue in the balance of the 2026-27 season. He seems to play his best when the team has what is called, in technical jargon, “good vibes”.
Between teammates working on their weaknesses, adapting, and Coach Ott showing his abilities as a fixer and motivator, those good vibes are still attainable in the next 79 games. What we want to see (and we don’t see it all behind the scenes) is Devin asserting himself as a star and franchise icon to lead a change in those “vibes”.
Finally, what about “Future Booker”? The team awarded all of the accomplishments above with a contract that runs through this year plus three more (~$264 million in that span). The money is a certainty. It’s extremely unlikely the Suns will move him.
DARKO is a model proven to be the most accurate single metric of player value per a HoopsHype GM survey. It also projects remaining longevity of a career and compares the trend for the 10 most similar players. Booker’s DARKO?
It suggests the break-even on longevity is 8 more seasons. In terms of value, Booker peaked through 2024 at roughly a +4 rating, is currently at a +2, and projects a +1 by the end of that contract. That means he’d still contribute 1 point per 100 possessions better than an average NBA player.
This aging progression has exceptions: Steve Nash actually improved in DARKO while 32-34 years old! If the trend holds for Devin, Phoenix has a limited window to capitalize on his star abilities. That means making this current roster work, or trying one more big move.
Either way, let’s celebrate Devin for all that he’s done and get the good mojo going for more magic in his thirties.
