Kevin Durant is gone. Bradley Beal is gone.
Now Devin Booker returns as Phoenix’s unquestioned offensive centerpiece, shouldering a heavier workload than he has in recent years. Could this be the season he challenges for the NBA scoring title?
RealGM’s Wes Goldberg stated that he likes Devin Booker to win the NBA scoring title this season. Our Bright Side squad shared their thoughts on this here
if you’d like to read their analysis.
The Case for Booker Taking the Scoring Crown
Booker’s scoring has been elite for years. Last season, he averaged
25.6 points per game, ranking ninth in the league despite being mediocre relative to his standards. His effectiveness and efficiency took a dip; let’s not sugarcoat it. He was mostly underwhelming in what we can chalk up as a lost season for the Suns.
Devin Booker can be better. He has to be better this season.
His career high is 27.8 ppg in 2022-23, right before Phoenix went all-in to acquire Kevin Durant. That 27.8 mark would’ve ranked him 4th last season behind only SGA, Giannis, and Jokic. So he’s not as far off as you think on the surface if he gets to that level again and improves his three-point efficiency while getting to the charity stripe more frequently.
With Durant and Beal out of the picture, Booker becomes Phoenix’s go-to option every night. The offense will run through him more often in isolation and iso-play, meaning more shot attempts. The increased volume is something he’s shown he’s able to handle.
Many caution that Booker’s dual role as facilitator may limit raw scoring volume. Yet they also acknowledge that if the Suns lean on him correctly and manage to take some playmaking burden off him, his shot totals could climb enough to compete for the scoring title.
In short, Book can score in volume if Phoenix leans into it. It is possible, even if the odds aren’t super high.
But then there’s the other side of the coin.
The Case Against Booker
There are reasons to temper expectations.
First, Booker is also the primary ball-handler and facilitator. I don’t want to hear about Jalen Green as a point guard. Neither of them are point guards.
Last season, Book posted a career-high 7.1 assists per game. Acting as a point guard — even unofficially — diminishes opportunities to chase scoring volume like elite isolation-heavy guards. He needs to find a better balance this season of picking when to look for his own and when to distribute. Simply put, we need an aggressive Devin Booker.
If Jalen Green takes some of that burden off of him this season, he hypothetically could get back to being more of an off-ball and iso threat. I’m not super confident in Green being that facilitator, but it would be a welcome sight to see him take positive steps in that direction.
Second, Booker trails scorers like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and others in free-throw creation. He averaged 6.4 free-throw attempts per game, which was just 14th in the league. Leading the league in scoring often requires a knack for drawing fouls and getting to the line frequently… areas where Booker has not consistently excelled.
Let’s take a look at the last five scoring champs’ free throw attempts per game:
- 2025 — SGA: 8.8
- 2024 — Luka: 8.7
- 2023 — Embiid: 11.7
- 2022 — Embiid: 11.8
- 2021 — Steph: 6.3
The only one in Booker’s ballpark is Steph Curry, which is due to his otherworldly three-point shooting volume and efficiency. So, an increase in that department is the first obvious step outside of improved efficiency across the board.
This graphic is wild, but I thought the statistic was too fun not to share. That’s some elite company to be in.
Teams are going to build their entire game plan around slowing Booker down, so it’s vital that his teammates are reliable offensively.
“Opposing defenses already see how limited this roster is without a secondary efficient scorer (reminder: Jalen Green was 12th on the Rockets in eFG%), and they’ll build game plans to suffocate him. For all of Booker’s greatness, he’s not a player who generates easy points through sheer physical dominance. His weapon is the jumper, one of the cleanest in the league, and that will always keep him dangerous.” – John Voita on Devin Booker’s scoring upside.
The competition is fierce, too. The West remains stacked, and players like Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and SGA excel in higher-volume scoring systems built around them. Without an easier path, Book could end up just beneath the top tier.
What would it take?
Booker has finished top ten in scoring consistently. Now, with the offense restructured around him, there is upside. If he can either nudge his scoring average up a couple of points, or if the league’s other stars slow down slightly, his ceiling includes cracking the top 3-5.
But leading the league? That’s ambitious. The numbers suggest he could approach that level if Phoenix empowers him to score full-time rather than share playmaking duties. An even better question might be if the Suns even want him to be a league-leading scorer. Does that bring out the best version of this team? I think not. Force-feeding him to put up numbers isn’t a winning strategy. They’ll need him to be the engine, no doubt. But there comes a need for balance from the rest of the team.
If I had to pick, I’d say he clears the bar for being a top-7 scoring leader, but not necessarily the top dog. The bet is safer on Booker entering the conversation, rather than walking away with the crown. It would take a leap in his game that we haven’t seen yet. Maybe it’s there. We shall see.
Where do you have him finishing this season on that list, Suns fans?
