The Phoenix Suns are among the worst teams in the NBA this season and have been playing with a completely different team than they expected to have when the year began. Eric Bledsoe and T.J. Warren are out for the year, Brandon Knight is still out with a groin injury and Markieff Morris has been traded. Those were the Suns' four leading scorers so it shouldn't come as a surprise that they have the third worst record in the NBA. With all of the change the Suns have dealt with, rookie Devin Booker will likely be the featured player on offense for the foreseeable future, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic.
Interim head coach Earl Watson made a point to feature Morris when he took over for Jeff Hornacek earlier this year, and it worked. Morris was playing by far his best basketball of the season under Watson before being traded. Now that Morris is gone the Suns need somebody else to run their offense through, and Watson says that guy is Booker.
"Our main scorer is still our main scorer. It's Devin Booker, a 19-year-old. I mean it's a dream come true. Who knows? He might leave and get pizza. Who knows what his pregame ritual is," said Watson.
Booker is the leading remaining scorer on the Suns (not including Knight who is expected back this year) at 10.6 points per game. At the beginning of the season Booker wasn't getting much playing time due to the Suns' deep backcourt, but his play forced the Suns hand to play him more. Now with all of the injuries Booker is starting and continues to see his role expand.
As mentioned before Booker is averaging 10.6 points per game but he is doing so with impressive shooting numbers as well. Through 50 games Booker is shooting 44 percent from the field, 40 percent from three and 83 percent from the free throw line. Booker is the youngest player in the NBA right now, but the 13th overall pick in the most recent draft is certainly capable of being the first option in Phoenix. Booker has noticed the difference of being a main offensive option not only from his own team but from the attention he receives from other teams, according to Kevin Zimmerman of Arizona Sports.
Watson declared Booker his first option before the Suns' game on Friday night, but in the two games since Booker has scored just 10 points apiece. Part of the reason he didn't score much was because he shot poorly, but another reason is because the offense seemed to be run through center Alex Len. Despite the last two games Booker will likely get plenty of opportunities in the near future to show he can be the guy on offense, and he should. He is young, but he has shown that he is ready for the big time, and he is a potential future star.
