Devin Booker Sets the Tone for Suns' Preseason Approach

The Phoenix Suns went into Wednesday night's battle with the Chicago Bulls coming off a narrow 109-107 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday.

Star two-guard Devin Booker isn't taking the loss lightly, especially due to the team letting a 68-50 halftime lead up. 

The 12-year vet left no stones unturned when talking to Duane Rankin (Arizona Republic), stressing the need to treat preseason games as if they are regular season battles.

“I know we built the lead, but we were talking to that second and third group, everything is an audition. It’s going to be a point and time that one or two of you guys, we’re going to need you guys to get a win. Treat it like a regular season game, do anything we can to get a win.”

Booker brings a valuable point up, as several of the second/third unit players seeing game action Monday are fighting for rotation - even roster spots.

It has to be disappointing from his perspective that the starting unit (and second unit to an extent) built up a dominant lead, just to see it dwindle. 

Among the biggest concerns is free-throw shooting. The Suns shot 17-33 from the charity stripe on Monday, including seeing struggles from Koa Peat, Rasheer Fleming, and Khaman Maluach.

Leaving points on the board to that extent plays right into Booker's statement - one of the main reasons why the Suns managed to overachieve in 2025-26 rested in a consistent mentality that led to the team winning 19 games in clutch situations.

This is simply a call to action to teammates that are working to crack the rotation - or even to earn the final spot on the official 15-man roster. Having issues with free-throw consistency or in other areas will make it difficult for head coach Jordan Ott to justify playing said player. 

Less opportunity in seeing in-game reps will inherently make it more difficult for the players seeking to crack the regular rotation to make a difference in a key moment that they are called upon to make a winning play or to contribute to a winning stretch of basketball. 

Booker's statement is one that is equally eye-opening and constructive. The Suns cannot let up for a second this season, especially since they are no longer under-the-radar. The team can't allow for worse teams on paper to take decisive leads, and they can't let superior squads (on paper) gather insurmountable leads. 

Unfortunately, the same came to pass on Wednesday, when Phoenix ceded a 15-point lead in a seven-point loss to the Bulls. 

The first taste of regular season action for the 2026-27 season comes on Oct. 21 for the Suns, when they travel to take on the new-look Portland Trail Blazers. There's still time to right the ship for the back-end of the rotation, but it's difficult to see this unit being ready to step in and contribute in regular season play at this time.