{"id":96436,"date":"2024-09-18T17:31:07","date_gmt":"2024-09-18T21:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=96436"},"modified":"2024-09-18T17:31:07","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T21:31:07","slug":"devin-booker-set-to-break-phoenix-suns-record-in-2024-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/18\/devin-booker-set-to-break-phoenix-suns-record-in-2024-25\/","title":{"rendered":"Devin Booker Set to Break Phoenix Suns Record in 2024-25"},"content":{"rendered":"

As he enters Year 10, Devin Booker<\/a> is set to cement his name in Phoenix Suns history by breaking the franchise\u2019s all-time scoring record.<\/p>\n

Despite not turning 28 years old until October, Booker is already on his way to becoming one of, if not the greatest player in Suns history.\u00a0 Whilst his younger years were synonymous with losing, he has led the team to far more success recently, including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2021 and four consecutive playoff berths.<\/p>\n

He has also helped mold a new winning culture for the team, helping to attract the league\u2019s biggest talents to play alongside him.\u00a0 Often rumored with a trade away from Phoenix, Booker has instead brought the likes of Chris Paul<\/a>, Kevin Durant<\/a>, and Bradley Beal<\/a> to the city.<\/p>\n

Devin Booker Set to Break Phoenix Suns Record in 2024-25<\/h2>\n

Walter Davis<\/a> is currently the Suns\u2019 all-time leading scorer<\/a> with 15,666 points.\u00a0 He reached this figure in 766 games.\u00a0 Booker is at 14,529 points<\/a> but has remarkably played 168 games less at 598.\u00a0 To overtake six-time all-star Davis at number one, Booker must score 1,138.\u00a0 Last season, the guard averaged 27.1 points<\/a> per game.\u00a0 If he were to begin the new season at the same pace, he could reach the total needed in just under 42 games.<\/p>\n

That means it is a matter of when, not if, he will break the record, should he remain healthy.\u00a0 In February, Booker passed Alvan Adams<\/a> (13,910) to move into second place.\u00a0 A 25-point game<\/a> against the Sacramento Kings was enough, and eyes were already on the top spot following the achievement.<\/p>\n

At the time, superstar teammate Durant commented:<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a savant of the game.\u00a0 The work he puts in shows up on game nights every night.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe inspires a whole generation of players.\u00a0 As he hits these milestones, it\u2019s actually what I expect him to do at this point.\u00a0 He deserves to be the No.1 all-time leading scorer in Suns history with the work he\u2019s put in.\u00a0 I can\u2019t wait for that day.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As fans look forward to the beginning of the NBA season in October, that day is creeping closer and closer.<\/p>\n

Looking to Build on Olympic Success<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Following an embarrassing four-game sweep by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, the Suns are looking to bounce back this season under new head coach Mike Budenholzer.<\/a>\u00a0 It feels like a make-or-break season for the franchise after the struggles of brand new big three Booker, Durant, and Beal.\u00a0 However, with a different voice at the helm and weaknesses filled in free agency, the Suns are set up for much more success this time.<\/p>\n

A trip to the Paris Olympics<\/a> with Team USA ended in style, as Booker and Durant<\/a> won the gold medal<\/a>.\u00a0 For Booker in particular, he showcased another side of his game that had perhaps gone unnoticed in recent years.\u00a0 Not known for his defensive prowess, Booker was the \u2018role player\u2019 amongst the team of superstars.\u00a0 That\u2019s not to say Booker is not one himself, but his efforts made the game much easier for the likes of Lebron James<\/a> and Steph Curry.<\/a>\u00a0 Coach Steve Kerr <\/a>named him the \u2018unsung MVP\u2019<\/a> of the team.\u00a0 Of course, it is not a role he will undertake with the Suns, but he has proved he has the defensive toughness the team so sorely lacked last season.\u00a0 It could prove to be a vital difference in a playoff setting.<\/p>\n

Backcourt Help is on the Way<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Booker took on a creative responsibility he had not previously had to shoulder, and the lack of a point guard on the Suns’ roster was a flaw that proved costly.\u00a0 Primarily a shooting guard, Booker covered the position well alongside Beal but their play also led to sloppiness and indecision on the ball.\u00a0 Despite the added pressure, he still provided 27.1 points per game with a career-best 6.9 assists.<\/a> Whilst Booker was still providing elite numbers, he was part of a side that was 25th in turnovers,<\/a> with 14.9 per game. The Suns front office addressed these issues in the off-season, signing free-agent guards Tyus Jones<\/a> and Monte Morris.<\/a><\/p>\n

The additions of Jones and Morris<\/a> could change the entire outlook of the team\u2019s season.\u00a0 Jones has led the league in the last six seasons in the assist-to-turnover ratio.\u00a0 Morris is not far behind, ranking second in four of those campaigns.\u00a0 With these ball handlers, the turnover numbers should reduce significantly.\u00a0 Furthermore, the lesser pressure on Booker could see his points average increase, as he has more of a focus on scoring rather than creating.\u00a0 This may set him up for breaking the Suns’ all-time scoring record even earlier in the season.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/statmuse\/status\/1817301243276239240<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As he enters Year 10, Devin Booker is set to cement his name in Phoenix Suns history by breaking the franchise\u2019s all-time scoring record. Despite not turning 28 years old until October, Booker is already on his way to becoming one of, if not the greatest player in Suns history.\u00a0 Whilst his younger years were […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5293,"featured_media":96469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[28,1608,62],"tags":[311,352,69,2081],"class_list":["post-96436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-suns","category-basketball","category-nba","tag-bradley-beal","tag-devin-booker","tag-kevin-durant","tag-team-usa"],"modified_by":"Jacob Stephens, Associate Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5293"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96436"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96436\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}