During the Phoenix Suns run to the best record in the NBA in the 2021-22 season, guard Devin Booker has elevated his game to be among the best players in the association.
After his stellar season averaging 26.8 points per game, Booker finished fourth in voting for NBA Most Valuable Player. Receiving 216 total points, it marked the first time in Booker’s career he made the MVP ballot.
Despite the league award going to Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic, there’s no disputing how valuable Booker has been to the Suns success.
For Suns general manager James Jones, there’s no doubting that Booker has been Phoenix’s MVP this season.
“Devin’s our MVP, that goes without saying,” Jones told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Wednesday.
Finding out where Booker finished in voting, Jones acknowledged that the Suns guard is finally starting to get the recognition he deserves for his play.
“He will continue to get the credit that he’s due,” Jones said. “I think the public is starting to recognize what we recognize everyday, which is guys like Devin don’t come around very often.
“When you have a guy of his caliber on your team, it just elevates everyone. There’s no doubt he’s our MVP.”
Turning the attention to Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, the Suns GM provided an update on forward Jae Crowder after he appeared to pick up a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter of Game 5.
“Jae is fine,” Jones said. “He’s at practice today, he’s good to go.”
The Suns are looking to be the first team to win a game on the road in the series. Phoenix took Games 1, 2, and 5 in convincing from Footprint Center, while the the Mavs took Games 3 and 4 in front of their home crowd.
Should the Suns punch their ticket to the Western Conference Finals on Thursday, they’ll need to do so away from their home court. Having playoff experience of his own, Jones knows just how much of a challenge that can be.
“It’s really hard to win on the road in general,” he said. “It’s extremely difficult to win on the road in the playoffs.”
The Suns and Mavericks face off in Game 6 on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. You can catch all the action on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.