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Is it time to question whether Devin Booker is overrated or not?

© Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Down 2-0 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the playoffs, Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns are searching for answers to avoid a first-round exit.

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Jalen McDaniels scored 25 points in Minnesota’s 105-93 win as their rugged defensive system frustrated Phoenix who couldn’t get into an offensive rhythm. Kevin Durant had 18 points while Bradley Beal was held to just 14.

But as the Suns’ face of the franchise, Booker will be the focal point that his team relies upon in the playoffs and yet, he hasn’t taken control of a game in the series thus far.

In Game 1, Booker went 5-for-16 from the field and 2-for-6 from three for 18 points as Phoenix fell 120-95.

Looking to bounce back after a subpar performance by his own standards, things didn’t get much better in the second game as he was 6-for-16 and shot 1-for-6 from behind the arc, totaling 20 points. Combined, Booker is averaging 19 points, five assists and 2.5 rebounds in the playoffs.

Because of the early disappointment in the playoffs vs. Minnesota, noise has started to emerge around the hype surrounding Booker and if he is as good as others think he is.

Now that Phoenix is just two losses away from elimination, here is why critics’ questions about Booker being overrated are unwarranted and there are more serious issues around the team.

Suns’ Shining Star

Since being the 13th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Booker has garnered notoriety as one of the best players not just for the Suns, but in the league itself.

The Michigan native has averaged 24.3 points, five assists and four rebounds through 598 regular season games. This past season in 68 games, he finished with 27.1 points, 6.9 assists (career high) and 4.9 rebounds per game.

Different from previous years, however, the 27-year-old has had to adapt to playing a different position and role after multiple alterations to the team’s starting lineup.

As a result of trading for Bradley Beal, head coach Frank Vogel shifted Booker to primarily a point guard this year after slotting in as a shooting guard every season since his draft.

While this could have presented challenges along the way regarding if he would need to change his play style and rework his decision-making, he repped a plus/minus of +316 when on the floor. Even though the early stages of his career were when the Suns as a whole struggled, he has a +208 overall because of the recent success of the Suns for the past few seasons.

His playmaking, shot creation and awareness on the court can be classified as elite, but when games mean more in the playoffs, concerns about his consistency rise.

Playoff Pressure?

When analyzing his numbers and stats in the playoffs, Booker has had success in the past before the rough patch he has been on for the past two games.

Making the postseason for the first time in his career, Phoenix finished 51-21 in 2020-21 and went all the way to the NBA Championship. The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Suns in a seven-game series, 4-2.

Alongside Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton and coached by Monty Williams, Booker scored 27.3 points, and had 5.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game during that run.

Getting so close to achieving basketball’s ultimate prize, the Suns have not been back to the NBA Finals since.

The Suns would fall to both the Dallas Mavericks (2021-22) and the Denver Nuggets (2022-23) in the second round. Last playoffs, Booker clinched a career-high of averaging 33.7 points in 11 games despite not advancing to the Western Conference Final.

Now that his remarkable clip has not translated over to this year’s playoffs, fans and analysts are wondering if the pressure is getting to Booker and Phoenix.

Here is what some fans and people on social media had to say about Booker following Game 2:

More Issues Than Meets the Eye

While some of the blame is warranted on Booker given that he is the Suns’ best player, he is not the sole reason why they are in the situation they are currently.

You may also point the finger at Vogel, Beal, Kevin Durant, general manager James Jones’ construction of the team, turnovers, effort, etc. The list can go on and on.

The one thing that can’t be taken away from Booker is that he can turn up a dial and control any given game, it just hasn’t been seen yet.

Some things may just not be clicking like team chemistry and how the “Big Three” haven’t necessarily meshed in the playoffs even though – on paper – they look like one of the most dangerous trios in the NBA.

Taking into account Minnesota’s defensive and physical style of play, one could also say that this matchup did not favor the Suns before the matchup was announced.

The Suns do return to Phoenix for Games 3 and 4, so by coming back to Footprint Center, they could feed off the energy from having home-court advantage and turn this series deficit around.

Do you believe Devin Booker is overrated or are there more concerning issues around the Suns?

Is the Suns season over after Game 2 loss to Timberwolves? Fans think so

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Alec Cipollini covers Phoenix Sports News for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini

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