Ahead of training camp in September, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker visited New York City to make the most out of his free time. During his New York visit, Booker surprised fans and even gifted some of them free Nike Book 1 sneakers. The four-time All-Star showed some love to fans before he returns to his team and prepares for a new season with his Big Three, but with a new coach in Mike Budenholzer.
New York fans were also grateful for Booker dropping by the city. For instance, the X user @FlexFromJersey shared a positive response to the visit from the Suns shooting guard.
“Devin Booker just pulled up on W 4th Street Court in Manhattan! Y'all have no idea how BIG that is for those people, my people! A lot of people talk about it, but doing it is a very different story!” the user said in his post.
The Suns guard visits the Big Apple
Besides handing out Nike Book 1s to New York fans, the Suns' franchise player Devin Booker looks ahead to a new season in a packed Western Conference, which nearly overwhelmed the NBA's most recent Big Three of Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal.
While the Suns made it to the playoffs last season, they looked like out of their depth against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Moreover, their offensive firepower was no match for the Wolves' smothering defense, who swept them in dominating fashion. All but one of their wins was in double digits.
In the offseason, the team decided that Frank Vogel's defensive-minded philosophy didn't match his players who liked to shoot the leather off the ball. So, the Suns canned Vogel and replaced him with Mike Budenholzer, coach of the Bucks team that beat them in the 2021 Finals.
Still, the Suns aren't a lost cause. Devin Booker is a certified playoff performer, averaging 27.5 points and 6.0 assists in the 2024 playoffs. Likewise, Durant also put up 26.8 points and 6.5 rebounds in the sweep. Perhaps one of their problems is that newly acquired Bradley Beal didn't quite match their production, only scoring 16.5 points on 44.1% shooting.
What went wrong with the Big 3?
The risk in putting together a top-heavy team is that Booker, Durant, and Beal will have to go nuclear every game just to give the team a chance to win. While Durant and Booker are great enough to overcome opponents' defensive schemes, Beal hasn't proven that he can break defenses in a playoff series.
Teams would rather let Durant and Booker get 40 each playing iso on the wing if they can shut down the rest of the team. It's not like the Heatles of old who turned LeBron James into their offensive hub, either passing to their shooters or calling his own shot.
Recognizing this need, the Suns signed Tyus Jones to help set the table for the trio. However, is this addition enough to help the Suns run the Western Conference gauntlet?
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