NBA Hall of Famer and current TNT analyst Shaquille O'Neal wants Phoenix Suns star shooting guard Devin Booker to make his teammates better and lead the franchise back to the playoffs.
The Suns haven’t made the playoffs since 2010, and they are currently 13th in the West with a 26-39 record. O'Neal thinks Booker is a special enough talent where other people should stop saying the Suns need to get him more help:
Article Continues Below“I like the fact that he’s pissed off he didn’t make the All-Star game and he’s putting up great numbers, but at some point, he’s going to have to realize that in order to be a great player, you have to make other guys around you better,” Shaquille O’Neal said on Tuesday's TNT show, via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Central.
“I understand he doesn’t have talent around him, but if you look at what he has on paper, they’re OK. I’m the type of guy who don’t really like (excuses).
“I don’t watch them because they’re not winning, but when I see them on the court, they have a lot of talent. They got a big guy, they got a guy that can dribble and they got a guy who can shoot. I don’t want no excuses about, oh put talent around him. You are the talent, make it work.”
Devin Booker has established himself as one of the best scorers in the NBA. The former Kentucky Wildcat is averaging 26.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game this season for the Suns while shooting 48.7 percent from the field, 36.0 percent from beyond the arc and an impressive 91.6 percent from the free-throw line.
Remember back in 2016-17 when Booker scored 70 points against the Boston Celtics? Everyone thought that was going to be just the beginning of Booker's onslaught of the NBA. The 23-year-old has racked up 7,439 points in 334 NBA games, but the Suns continue to lose games.
At some point, basketball fans want to see Booker in the playoffs. He is one of the best scorers people have ever seen. It would be a shame if he will never be able to showcase his elite skills on the biggest stage.