Phoenix Suns Have Duo That Is Slept on in NBA Scope

The Phoenix Suns are cruising through the final stretch of the 2026 offseason, as just over a month remains before the team enters training camp in anticipation for the new season.

The goal for the 2026-27 season? Improve off of a 45-win baseline set in the 2025-26 campaign, while also realizing true internal growth. 

These will be attainable in the grand scope of everything, especially if five-time All-Star Devin Booker has anything to say about it. Booker's floor-raising last season - particularly as a playmaker - set the stage for considerable improvement that came to be. He is also accompanied by a legitimate co-star for the ride ahead, in second-year Sun Dillon Brooks.

Brooks and Booker have only played 42 games together as teammates, as the former missed over a month with a broken hand and the latter missed various points of last season due to issues such as a hamstring. 

This created a world in which a solid sample couldn't be recorded, but the two remain rated amongst the best players in the entire league.

Booker being ranked 18th and Brooks coming in at #59 in the Ringer's offseason player rankings is indication that the pairing remains one that is feared relatively speaking. Despite this, there is still skepticism around just how great this pairing can be. 

The trio of Booker, Brooks, and guard Jalen Green managed to muster a rather average net rating (+1.1) when sharing the court together, which points to a limited ceiling. However, Brooks and Booker compliment one each other quite well in the midst of everything. 

 Booker handles a hefty playmaking and scoring load. His ability as a table-setter, passer, and split-second decision maker is a large reason why Brooks is able to generate clean looks on the perimeter. 

Brooks, in return, takes on challenging defensive assignments on the perimeter. He isn't quite an All-Defense level player at this stage, but is above average all things considered. The two also blend together well when it comes to their competitive drive and communication styles. 

The former Houston Rocket may not be a darling according to the analytics, but his hard-nosed defense, timely shotmaking, and intangible toughness brought to the table are areas that simply cannot be ignored when complimenting Booker's gravitas. 

The duo is setting up to make their season debut on October 5 in a preseason contest against the Detroit Pistons.