Suns star Devin Booker was baffled this week after a recent private meeting with coach Mike Budenholzer. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, Bud pulled Booker aside to ask him to take it easy on the sidelines and not overshadow the coaching staff.
“I was told that, weeks ago, Mike Budenholzer called his star guard Devin Booker into his office to issue a complaint,” said Haynes. “That complaint, I am told, was that Booker was being too vocal on the court and during timeout huddles. He implored his star guard to tone it down, to allow for the coach’s voice to be heard. This completely shocked Booker, I was told. After the Suns lost Thursday to the Pelicans, Booker spoke publicly about how the lack of communication is hurting the team.”
It’s not every day that a head coach meets their veteran star in private to tell them to tone it down, but that’s the situation in Phoenix right now as the Suns scramble to save their season. After failing to meet expectations in years past, they cannot afford another wasted campaign and everyone is feeling the pressure right now.
It’s been a rough season for the Suns and Booker was trying to light a fire under his teammates by being vocal and verbalizing his feelings. The problem is that it was drowning out the coaching staff, who felt unheard and underutilized by the team.
It might explain why the Suns are ranked 27th on defense despite having a championship-winning, defensive-minded coach. It might also explain why the team morale and chemistry have never appeared so low. Without Booker’s defining voice, it seems the Suns have lost their identity.
Devin Booker Says Suns Are “Skipping Over The Details”
Booker, 28, has been the face and leader of the franchise since he was drafted back in 2015. His ascension to stardom was quick and he’s regarded today as one of the best guards in the league with career averages of 24.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game on 46.4% shooting.
With Chris Paul, Booker took the Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals and were just two wins away from winning the title. The franchise hasn’t been back there since and there is mounting pressure to make a run before serious changes are made.
After firing Frank Vogel last summer, the Suns brought in Budenholzer hoping that his experience and approach could bring out the best in their team. Needless to say, the results have been less than ideal so far and Booker believes it’s a mental problem.
“I’d say just skipping over the details and always taking the ‘get ‘em next game’ mentality,” said Booker in a press conference. “At some point, you gotta draw a line, and it should’ve been drawn a long time ago.”
Despite the combined talents of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, the Suns are 11th in the West at 27-32. They’ve lost three straight games, including eight of their last 10. As the Suns sit outside the play-in picture, there’s an argument to be made that they are the most disappointing team in the league this season.
As long as they have Durant and Booker, however, they will always have a chance to beat the best of the best. To maximize their chances, however, the Suns must let Book be Book and stop trying to silence his voice. They must also reflect on their mistakes and try to improve them for every game.
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