“You’re just dealing with a guy [who], you know, really loves his craft. For me to be a really big fan first, you know, I had a tweet from 2011 & I said, Kevin Durant is my favorite player, but LeBron [James] is the best.” 
Booker opened up on his experience with Durant as his teammate, saying that being teammates with the two-time Finals MVP lives up to the hype.
“Just always being a fan and then hearing the stories of how obsessive he is with his work, how he gets after it, and how much of a hoops junkie he is. For all those stories to be living up and him surpassing those, you really find out he only cares about hoops.”
Booker and Durant have had a strong relationship since becoming teammates in February 2023. The Suns aren’t the overachieving franchise we saw in 2021 anymore, trading away their identity and depth to acquire Durant and later, Bradley Beal. As a result, the load on Booker and KD to carry the franchise has been greater.
The Suns Are Not Contenders
It’s great that the Durant-Booker partnership has turned out as well as it has, in terms of the synchronicity both players play with and how they get along. Durant is averaging 28.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists this season, while Booker is averaging 27.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 6.8 assists this season. Both players were All-Stars and could even be All-NBA with their production, but won’t be because the Suns roster isn’t built to win.
The Suns have a 38-28 record this season, fighting to stay in the top six of the West. They’re half a game ahead of the No. 8 Mavericks but behind both the Pelicans and Kings who currently occupy the automatic qualification spot. The Suns have a nightmare schedule coming up as well, with 12 of their 16 remaining games coming against playoff teams still fighting for seeds.
Bradley Beal has been decent for Phoenix, averaging 18.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. But his salary and contract privileges for this production just make very little sense. The Suns don’t need another scoring guard like him but need to add balance to their roster, either with a point guard to set the floor for Booker and Durant or with wing reinforcements.
Their threadbare rotational depth outside the starting five is of major concern as well. These aren’t problems with easy solutions, so this season won’t end in a parade for Phoenix. Who knows what their ceiling can be if they make the right adjustments in the summer?
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