As analysts question if the Phoenix star’s efficiency justifies a looming $68 million payday, Booker must evolve his playmaking to prove he remains an elite franchise cornerstone.
Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker seems to be in a large majority of discourse within the greater NBA ecosystem at this stage.
Booker, soon to be 30, is on the cusp of earning nearly $68 million in a season (2029-30), which sets up the debate that has permeated the offseason.
Does the Kentucky product produce enough to justify the supermax contract that he is receiving?
Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon of ESPN are two influential media figures that are skeptical in regards to Booker truly earning the contract.
“Change of scenery here for Miles Bridges. Nobody likes trading with the suns more than the hornets. The thing about the suns is, Devin Booker is being paid like a top 10 player, but these last few years he isn’t playing like one.”
The general sentiment is that the 13th overall pick in the 2015 draft is already regressing in what should be his prime years. There are a handful of signs to support this, but much of it resides in the Suns' all-time leading scorer experiencing a downtick in volume and efficiency.
This doesn't paint the whole picture, however.
Booker is rapidly ascending as a ball-handler, even as his athletic prime is winding down. While Booker's game has never been predicated on pressuring the rim, he is coming off a career-high number of drives per game (nearly 16), continuing to evolve as a playmaker out of definitive advantage creation.
An argument can be made that Booker's scoring efficiency and volume will return to the days of old as well, particularly due to the injection of athleticism/playmaking chops into the lineup. In particular, Booker's ability to regularly return to his off-ball prowess has potential to arise - if backcourt mate Jalen Green is truly able to take a leap as a playmaker.
All things considered, Booker is still posting metrics and patterns that position him as an elite player. The salary-vs.-production debate gets largely muddles due to Phoenix's ability to build a roster around a salary that large, however it's difficult to deny who is arguably the greatest player in franchise history the right to take on the mantle of being the undeniable leader of the brand.
Booker's 12th season in the league is set to begin on Monday, when the Suns travel to take on the Detroit Pistons in what will be a strong challenge to open the preseason.
