Through the first 23 games of the season, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker has been plagued by an extended shooting slump that has produced some low-scoring, inefficient outputs.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The 10-year guard is boasting an average of 24.9 points per game, shooting 43% from the field and has a 50.2 effective field goal percentage on the season — all at the lowest they’ve been since his 2017-18 season. Why is one of the NBA’s most cerebral scorers struggling so much early in the season?
Many can point to his Olympic offseason catching up to him, the ever-changing Suns rotations as they deal with injuries to various players, or even the fact that defenses are targeting him on offense (via blitzes and double teams) because he is among the only healthy Suns trusted with creating his own shot.
“He’s not going to get many open (shots),” Suns point guard Tyus Jones said. “Just the attention he demands, he’s getting two, three guys on him each possession. So, the shots he does get are still tough ones that he can make and has made… He’s not getting any open looks.
“That’s on myself and on us to get open looks and some easier looks to continue to get him in rhythm.”
Jones was recruited to Phoenix for this one specific reason — to make it easier on the three stars offensively. And so far, he’s done that. Not only is he among the top in the league in assists per game (6.8), but he has also been a scoring revelation in the absences of Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Jones is averaging a career-high 12.2 points per game (16.4 in his last five) and is matching his highest 3-point percentage at 41.3%.
Booker has routinely operated at his best offensively when he plays off the ball. In Durant’s (left ankle sprain) injury-induced absence, Booker has been called upon to create more offense on his own. Couple that with opposing defenses targeting him down the stretch of games and it has been particularly difficult for him to to effectively create open shots for himself.
What Jones and the collective Suns brass acknowledge is that it is up to the rest of the roster to make it easier on Booker, at least until Durant returns.
Despite the inefficiencies, Booker has had some great games throughout the season, many of which came when Durant and Beal were out of the lineup. But, at the end of the day, it is also just a case of not being able to make shots.
“At the same time,” Jones added about Booker, “sometimes you’re just not making shots, and sometimes shots are in and out. He trusts in himself and so do we and we’re going to continue to role with him.”
Following a three-game road skid where Phoenix lost to New Orleans, Miami and Orlando, the team has a four-day break before taking a short trip to Utah to take on the Jazz as a part of a reallocated game due to the Emirates NBA Cup. The Suns (12-11) lucked out of being eliminated from NBA Cup contention as they we able to get extended days off and games against two of the teams at the bottom of the Western Conference.
Booker and the team aim to use this short extended break as a mental and physical reset despite their losing streak and injury plague.
Suns ‘still in high spirits’ despite injuries, losing streak
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Reporter Connor Moreno covers the Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @cmorenosports, and on Bluesky, @cloading.bsky.social
