Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker is known for his offensive prowess. He, Suns forward Kevin Durant and guard Bradley Beal are the best scoring trio in the NBA and should give opposing defenses fits this season.
However, Booker is not known as a lock-down defender to some. The Suns' guard led all playoff players in stocks (steals and blocks) for a good part of the 2023 postseason. His defensive field-goal percentage was 40.1, according to NBA.com, in 11 games the website recorded from the 2023 playoffs.
Thursday, Phoenix coach Frank Vogel, who has led teams to the top defensive rating in the NBA three times since 2011, shut down any concerns about Booker's defense.
“Everybody that's saying [Booker doesn't compete on defense] didn't see practice today,” Vogel said. “He and [Durant] were our best defenders today (at the Suns' third day of training camp).
“Those guys really got after it. Bradley, too. But those guys are really defending with passion right now. They're buying into the system and the scheme that we're putting in, and he's really putting in a lot of effort and focus into executing the coverages. But he's having a mentality on that side of the ball, competing to get stops.”
Booker was asked about the narrative about his defense being a weak part of his game.
“If you don't know that by now (that he likes to play defense), you're late,” Booker said.
Some still criticize Booker's defense when it comes to discussing the top players in the NBA. His coach is arguably the best defensive coach in the league right now and has no concerns about him on that end.