Los Angeles Clippers v Phoenix Suns – Game Five / Christian Petersen/GettyImages
At this point, Devin Booker is already synonymous with the Phoenix Suns. Entering his 10th year in the NBA, the star player has made a name for himself as a potential Suns legend. On the other hand, his resume is lacking a few items. Luckily for him, he’ll tick one off the list this season.
Fans will see Booker become the new all-time leader in points for the Suns franchise in the 2024-25 NBA season. Currently, Walter Davis is atop the list with 15,666 points. The former Kentucky Wildcats star sits at number two, with 14,529 points.
With his upcoming accomplishment, the star shooting guard could cement his name as an all-time Suns player.
To cement his legacy, though, more honors and acknowledgment are required.
Booker’s scoring is something to behold, and fans have been privileged to witness his growth as a star. We now examine additional domains in which he needs to become well-known.
3. Be a consistent All-Star
Consistency is burdensome for some stars in the league. Often, there are hurdles that players face that prevent them from making an impact and maximizing their purpose. The same case can be said about Booker since he’s faced a few setbacks (mostly injuries) that have cost him a spot in various All-Star teams.
Booker has made the All-Star team four times in his career. Though it would’ve been five by now if he didn’t get hurt for the majority of the 2022-23 season. Before that, he made three straight All-Star games.
When considering other Suns legends, they were continuously named All-Stars. For instance, in his five years with the franchise, Charles Barkley was a five-time All-Star. Even the four-year straight star, Steve Nash. The Western Conference was stacked with elite backcourt players at the time, even though it would have been five for Nash.
The West is constantly improving, especially now with player movement. Still, that shouldn’t burden Booker from being the persistent star player that the Suns need.
2. Win the MVP award
The Most Valuable Player award isn’t easy hardware to collect. In the league’s history, only all-time great players had the opportunity to win the prestigious award. Luckily, the Suns are no stranger to having a star that won an MVP.
In the 1990s, Barkley won the award in his first season with the team. That same season (1992-93), he led the Suns to the Finals. Although they faced Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, and we all know how that ended.
Charles Barkley’s MVP season was DOMINATE 🏆 pic.twitter.com/sGbYpFcKBH
— Fastbreak Hoops (@FastbreakHoops5) August 31, 2024
In the 2000s, the MVP award found its way back to Phoenix. Nash returned to the team that drafted him in 2004 and turned things around. He won the award without averaging at least 20 points and did it again the following season.
Steve Nash is the only player under 6-foot-6 to win multiple MVP awards in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/IRbFQLc1Ui
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 21, 2015
Booker has the potential to win the MVP award. After the 2021-22 season, he finished fourth in the voting for the award. Additionally, he has the numbers for it as he’s consistently averaged more than 25 points over the past six seasons. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard is also a consistent scorer, averaging 48% of his shots from the field.
Winning the MVP can make Booker one of the legendary players of the franchise. We’ve seen that happen in Derrick Rose. He won the award at a young age before his injuries piled up. Nowadays, people reminisce about his prime days and many Bulls fans see Rose as an all-time great.
1. Win an NBA Championship
There’s one accomplishment that Booker can have that past Suns stars weren’t able to do. And that is winning the NBA championship. The former 13th overall pick came close back in 2021, but the Milwaukee Bucks were too much to handle for them.
Forget the All-Star selections, the MVPs and other individual accolades. Winning the championship will put Booker at the top of the list of all-time Suns players. Whether he wins it at the 2024-25 season or his final run with the team, it won’t matter. As long as he wins the Larry O’Brien trophy winning makes everything better.
Booker is still at the prime of his career and has the time and tools to become a champion. There’s still time for the All-Star guard to maximize his chances of winning the title.
Winning the title is never easy, but an all-time player like Booker can achieve that triumph.
