The Phoenix Suns are an NBA-best 49-10 on the season and they continued to stay hot coming out of the All-Star Break with a 124-104 road victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.
However, a big piece of the Suns’ rotation was missing, as All-Star point guard and future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with an avulsion fracture in his right thumb.
Paul is in the midst of his 17th NBA season and while he is 36-years-old, the veteran point guard is leading the league in assists at 10.7 assists per game and truly is an MVP-like talent for the Suns given how he controls everything that happens for them on the floor.
Without Chris Paul down the stretch-run of the season, there is definitely a level of concern within the Suns’ organization, but there is no concern coming from All-Star shooting guard Devin Booker.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Biggest Questions Around NBA For Stretch-Run Of Season
During the All-Star Break when Paul’s injury was announced, Devin Booker told The Athletic’s David Aldridge that he looks at the “beauty” of the injury in the sense that it allows Chris Paul to be fully rested heading into the playoffs and hopefully ready for another long postseason run.
The backcourt duo of Chris Paul and Devin Booker is arguably one of the best duos in the entire league and this season, they have proven that. Between Paul leading the league in assists and Booker being one of the best pure scorers, the Suns have been as dominant as they can be.
Chris Paul being sidelined not only puts more stress and weight on the secondary talents of this franchise in Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, but it now means that Devin Booker is both this team’s primary scorer and facilitator, a role that he looked comfortable in on Thursday night versus the Thunder.
Against Oklahoma City, Devin Booker logged a team-high 38 minutes, scoring 25 points (9-16 FG) and dishing out a season-high 12 assists. Booker also finished the game with a career-high 6 steals.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Biggest Questions Around NBA For Stretch-Run Of Season
“I thought Devin managed the game well,” Suns coach Monty Williams said in his postgame comments in regards to his All-Star guard’s play. “You look at his assist numbers, he got off the ball and was finding guys at the right times. … I thought his steal-out defense was phenomenal.”
Being his team’s main facilitator, Devin Booker found a lot of success on the floor and really opened up his game. Both offensively and defensively, Booker’s impact was felt in this game, resulting in Phoenix being able to outscore their opponents 76-59 in the second-half en route to their 49th victory on the year.
“I always credit my early years in the league, even my first couple of years playing with Brandon (Knight) and [Eric Bledsoe],” Booker said in regards to being the Suns’ floor general against the Thunder. “When they went out, the ball kind of found my hands a lot and I had to make a lot of plays and see different defenses and just play through mistakes and learn.
“I take a lot of pride in it. I haven’t been in that position as of recent but definitely had some flashbacks tonight.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Biggest Questions Around NBA For Stretch-Run Of Season
Devin Booker has been sensational for the Suns this season and currently ranking 11th in the league in scoring, the Suns’ shooting guard has found himself knocking on the door to the MVP conversation this season.
He is not going to finish inside the Top-3 for MVP voting, but Booker will most definitely get some consideration for the award and will need to be this MVP-like talent down the stretch in order for the Suns to claim the 1-seed not just in the Western Conference, but the entire NBA.
With 23 games remaining on their schedule, the Phoenix Suns are a “lock” to make the playoffs at this rate and it should not be shocking to see them maintain their success on the floor with Chris Paul out of the lineup.
They may lose some games that they would have won with him on the floor, but the franchise-record of 62 wins in a season is still very much in-play for this group.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Biggest Questions Around NBA For Stretch-Run Of Season
According to Tankathon, the Suns have the 11th easiest schedule remaining in the league this season based on opponent’s win percentage and they will only face the Warriors and Grizzlies, the two other top teams in the Eastern Conference, once each down the stretch-run of the season.
Now on an 8-game win-streak and winners of 19 of their last 20 games, the Phoenix Suns are red-hot and are getting things done on both ends of the floor.
Cam Johnson, Mikal Bridges, Deandre Ayton, Jae Crowder and others are more than capable of stepping up around Devin Booker in order to help this team find success without Chris Paul on the basketball court.
“I feel like we can only get better from this,” forward Jae Crowder said after Thursday night’s game. “Obviously, we’ve put ourselves in position to have a cushion. But at the same time, we’re playing for something. We’re playing purposeful basketball each and every night.”
