The Suns’ 2026-27 season kicked off Wednesday evening with a 124-83 pasting by the Portland Trail Blazers. Booker finished the humiliating night with 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting. It is the beginning of the age-30 season for Suns legend Devin Booker, who reaches that mark on October 30th. Booker will continue his assault on the franchise career leaders this season and likely take the top spot in areas such as career minutes played, field goals, and free throw attempts.
If Booker ends up staying with
the Suns throughout his career, he will essentially end up owning that record book.
Records aside, what kind of season can Suns fans expect from the player that undeniably must perform to his fullest capabilities if the Suns want to dream about more than a first-round playoff exit?
Here is a list of other active players during their age-30 seasons. I didn’t include players that had won an MVP (Harden, Westbrook) or that played PF or C. There are wings and guards represented here.
There aren’t a lot of close comparisons to go off. On the list above, Lowry (6), Butler (6), and George (9) have more All-Star appearances than Booker (5). Players like McCollum and White aren’t in that All-Star category but have been solid players throughout their careers. Those players cumulatively averaged 3.8 points, 1.1 assists, and 1.0 rebounds, higher than their career averages in their age-30 season. Every player on that list was above his career scoring average.
Booker’s career averages are 24.6 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game. If he averages those numbers vs. his career totals, he would be at 28.4 points, 6.4 assists, and 5.0 rebounds per game. Those numbers would be a career-high scoring average, the 4th-highest assist average, and tied for the highest rebounding average.
That season would also give him the Suns’ season single-scoring record. Tom Chambers currently holds the record at 27.2 ppg, while Booker averaged 27.1 in his best season. My guess is Booker would be happy to get that one in his portfolio. Tom Chambers set the single-season scoring record in…his age-30 season.
There aren’t really any recent examples from the Suns to use for comparison. For the guards, Kevin Johnson was an All-Star (non-MVP) who spent his age-30 season with the Suns. He averaged 20.1 points, 9.3 assists, and 3.6 rebounds that year. Definitely a good season, but not the best for a player who averaged 20/10 three times in his career. Walter Davis was 40 years ago, and he was injured and barely played in his age 30 season. Steve Nash won the MVP in his 30th season, but I didn’t include MVPs in the table above. It would be less likely than a case of lightning striking twice for Booker to pull off the same feat. Charles Barkley won his MVP in Phoenix in his 29th season, but still made the 2nd team All-NBA the next year.
Other great guards that played for the Suns didn’t have their age-30 season in Phoenix. Players like Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Stephon Marbury, Connie Hawkins, Jeff Hornacek, Dan Majerle, etc., weren’t Suns at that age. It’s a common theme that the Suns don’t seem to keep players into their 30s. Booker becomes an exception.
Going back to the table and looking at BPM, three of the seven players (Lowry, Holiday, and McCollum) had the highest box plus/minus of their career. White’s was the second highest.
Booker has reached the age where athleticism begins to wane, and experience has to make up the difference. The age 30 season gains importance because the clock begins to tick cacophonously. After the age of 30, only Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Steve Nash, and Wilt Chamberlain have won MVPs. It has been 21 years since Nash achieved the feat.
That would be a bar set too high, but there isn’t any reason to think Booker can’t make a push for the franchise single-season scoring record, return to All-NBA form, and be the leader for a team that is very dangerous come playoff time.
