Even though the Phoenix Suns have yet to see their new star trio in action, they have seen two of them shine. The chemistry between Devin Booker and Kevin Durant has only grown as they lead the Suns to a top-10 offense and winning record through the first 20 games of the 2023-24 campaign.
Booker and Durant have both had exceptional starts to their seasons, highlighted by Durant entering the top 10 of the all-time NBA scoring leaderboard. The Suns have been able to win despite Bradley Beal playing just three games to this point and dealing with a back injury. They have had to make do with just two of their stars and have been able to do so thanks to Booker taking on the right mindset.
When asked what it was like learning to let Durant take more of the scoring opportunities, Booker kept it simple.
“I'm the point guard, he's the scorer,” Booker said after the Suns' win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Suns depend heavily on Booker for not just his scoring but his playmaking — and he has delivered. Averaging a career-high 8.4 assists per game while keeping his turnovers in check, the superstar guard is taking on perhaps the most important role in a Big 3 of three lethal scorers: that of the facilitator.
Booker is still closely behind Durant in usage rate (33.0 percent to 32.6 percent) as KD sits in third place on the points per game leaderboard behind Joel Embiid and Luka Doncic. Balance is key for the Suns. The key for them is to make sure their stars have synergy in order to thrive. So far, so good.
Booker said that he feels like he's getting to a point where the game continues to slow down for him. His ability to read defenses and react accordingly has been put to the test over the years, including in his early NBA days when he was nearly out there by himself.
Scoring will always be the skill Booker is known for. It's for good reason, as he's still one of the best in the world at getting buckets. His 27.9 points per game rank ninth in the league (or at least, they would if he played enough games to qualify). But the narrative around him could easily start to change into him being a dual-threat guard.
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