2025 Suns Player Review: Devin Booker wasn’t quite good enough

Devin Booker just completed his 10th season in the Valley. It was a disappointment to say the least.

Welcome to our Phoenix Suns Season in Review series, where we take a closer look at each player who suited up during the 2024–25 campaign. One by one, we’ll break down what went right, what went wrong, and what each player can do to take the next step heading into next season.

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It remains insane to type this out, but Devin Booker just completed his 10th season as a member of the Phoenix Suns.

There have been plenty of ups and downs, and it’s understandable to be disappointed with where we are now. Both the team and Booker underwhelmed dramatically in 2024-25.

We stand at a crossroads now. Phoenix’s front office has some major decisions to make as it looks to revamp the identity and culture of this Suns team. Change is the one thing Devin Booker is not unfamiliar with during his time here, and we’re going to see plenty more of it this summer.

Devin Booker

• Position: Shooting Guard
• Vitals: 6’6”, 206 pounds, 28 years old
• Experience: 10 years
• Stats: 75 GP, 25.6 PPG (46.1 FG%, 33.2 3PT%, 89.4 FT%), 7.1 APG, 4.1 RPG

Contract Details

Booker has three years left on his deal that runs through the 2027-28 season. He is owed $53,142,264 next season, $57,078,728 in 2026-27, and $61,015,192 in 2027-28 before hitting free agency in the summer of 2028-29.

There have been murmurs of Booker getting a 2-year, $149 million extension this summer. ESPN reported that it is likely the Suns will offer him that extension.

The Suns’ star has expressed his desire to spend his entire career in Phoenix through and through.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Booker’s estimated salary as a percentage of the cap (knowing that the cap will increase by 10% each year):

• 2025-26: 38%
• 2026-27: 37%
• 2027-28: 36%
• 2028-29: 40%
• 2029-30: 36%

Regular Season Recap

Devin Booker became the Phoenix Suns’ all-time leading scorer in February, breaking Walter Davis’ franchise record of 15,666 points. He reached the milestone in his 10th season and 642nd game for the Suns.

“It means everything,” Booker said. “Just being drafted to a franchise that believed in me, taking a chance on me as an 18-year-old kid and going through a rebuild phase and just sticking with it. Keeping my head down. The love and support has always been there. I don’t take it from granted.

Only two players in the NBA have averaged 25+ PPG over the last 7 NBA seasons:

• Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Devin Booker

That’s it. That’s the list. It would have been 8 straight years if he scored 0.1 more points per game in 2017-18 when he finished at 24.9.

I know, this was the least “pretty” of the 7-year stretch for Booker, who shot just 46.1% from the field, the worst of his career since that 2017-18 season when he was just 21 years old. Still, the level of consistency to get buckets is worth mentioning when discussing his game.

Booker had five games with 40+ points, including a season-high 47-point barrage in a win against Utah in February to improve the team to 26-25 in the season, back when there was a semblance of hope.

The hot start early in the season was followed by Durant’s injury, with the wheels falling off, and they never truly recovered. There were a few promising spurts, but nothing legitimate.

Bradley Beal and Devin Booker just could not find a way to mesh in the way that many had hoped. It was a “slow bleed out”, as Book relayed after they were officially eliminated from playoff contention.

Biggest Strength

The ability to get buckets is something Booker is always (mostly) good for. He can score at will from all three levels and is at his best when he’s aggressive and in attack mode. There was less of that this season, but when he decided to take over, he showed flashes of his peak self.

He had 25 games of scoring 30 or more points this season.

His playmaking remains underrated, as he had 16 games with 10+ assists, including 14 dimes against the Thunder in April.

Ever since Chris Paul left, it’s been a never-ending game of “what position is he playing?” At first, we went all-out point-Book. Then, the team decided it wasn’t working after getting swept by Minnesota in the first round, so they acquired Tyus Jones. That didn’t work either.

He is a capable decision-maker, but ultimately, his supporting cast matters. Offensively, there is still room for growth in efficiency, playmaking, and taking care of the ball. I’m hopeful we have not seen his peak yet. He is still just 28 years old, after all.

Biggest Weakness

Three categories make up his biggest weaknesses last season: shooting, leadership, and defense. He even admitted these things himself.

Booker worked hard to shed the narrative of being a poor defender. I thought this year he took a step back, but given the environmental context, a lot of that could be situational. On that same note, great defenders compete regardless of the situation.

The best way to classify Booker’s defense is that it is capable. I won’t call it his biggest weakness, but the lack of consistency on that end is worth noting.

To me, the biggest weakness of his game is something many thought would be his greatest strength entering the league. Three-point shooting.

He shot just 33.2% from deep last season, the lowest mark of his career since his age-22 season in 2018-19. The positive is that his 7.3 attempts per game marked a career-high, which is great, but now he needs to combine that volume increase with more efficiency.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Likelihood of Return: 1-10 scale

I’m going to put this at a solid 9. Anything is possible, but I do not see a Devin Booker trade going down this offseason. He still wants to be here. If things continue to get worse, things could change quickly, but for now, I doubt any moves involving Book are made.

“I take it seriously putting ‘Phoenix’ across my chest.”

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Overall Grade: C+

Devin Booker, relative to his lofty expectations, underperformed this season. It is no secret, and even he admitted it. He had a heavy workload and very little margin for error, given the supporting cast around him.

He had to be better this season for them to have any chance. He has to be better next season so that they have any chance of a playoff run. Plain and simple.

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