Time for the next version of Devin Booker

Devin Booker needs to show that he is more than just a great Robin, he has to show he can be Batman.

As the Phoenix Suns approach yet another off-season, we find ourselves saying, once again, that this is the biggest off-season in recent memory.

The first big chip fell with the Kevin Durant trade, so what with the Suns do with the #10 pick?

What will happen with Bradley Beal?

Can the Suns escape the second apron hell in which they currently live?

All important questions.

But one thing that seems lost in the commotion of KD and Beal, a new general manager, and a new head coach, is how important the 2025-26 NBA season will be for Devin Booker. After all, now that Kevin Durant has been traded, this upcoming season will be the first time since the NBA Bubble that the Phoenix Suns will undoubtedly be “Devin Booker’s team.”

Since the 2020-21 season, Devin Booker‘s presence on the Suns has been joined by Chris Paul and/or Kevin Durant. CP3’s leadership is unquestioned and, whether he likes it or not, other players necessarily must look to KD as a leader based on his status in basketball history alone. So, for the past five seasons, Devin Booker has, at best, shared the moniker of locker room leader.

Photo by Kate Frese/NBAE via Getty Images

However, since the 2020-21 season, it has also become apparent that Book tends to take on the personalities of those other leaders in the locker room. He has a bit of a chameleon-like personality, if you will.

When Chris Paul was on the team, Book seemed to have more of that “dog“ in him. He seemed to play with a different level of aggression and intensity – he had more of an edge. The latest iteration of Devin Booker — the one who has played alongside KD — has been less “dog” and more “unbothered.”

This all begs the question: What kind of Devin Booker will we see when there is not a CP3 or KD in the locker room? Will he be a dog, or will he be unbothered?

Is the Devin Booker we will see next season the one who Lebron James once called “the most disrespected player” in the NBA?

Or will the 2025-26 Devin Booker be closer to the one who has been on the wrong end of a meme with Luka since May 2022?

The last time we saw Devin Booker without Chris Paul or Kevin Durant, this was the image:

That iconic pose seemed to be the start of something much greater. A “hello world” moment that would elevate Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns to the next level.

Yet here we are, five years later, and the Phoenix Suns seem no better off now than they were then. However, like we did back then, the Phoenix Suns still have Devin Booker.

That Devin Booker, who led the Phoenix Suns to an improbable 8-0 run in the NBA Bubble, in the very leastshould pick up where he left off. In fact, with five more years of experience, maturity, and growth, one could even expect to see a different version of Devin Booker – a leveled-up version.

If the Phoenix Suns expect to have any hope of competing in the near future, changes are needed – and Devin Booker is no exception.

Frankly, the Phoenix Suns need a different version of Devin Booker.

Hell, Devin Booker needs a different version of Devin Booker.

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