“Kareem handed over reins to Magic, it’s time for Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton to take over”: Charles Barkley says the Suns stars must take more responsibilities off 37-yr-old Chris Paul

The Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks series has already impressed much more than it promised in the first two games but it’s time for Devin Booker and Co to show who’s the best

It looked like the Suns were finally done playing tough games going to 6 games against the young scrappy Pelicans and will breeze past the Mavs in 4 or maximum 5 games.

But what a comeback Mavericks made, as it turns out Jalen Brunson wasn’t a one-series-wonder and can help Luka Doncic and Dallas to be a threat to the #1 team of the NBA and hence the title chances of everyone else.

Also read: “Chris Paul has manipulated more calls in his favor than any player in the last 20 years”: Suns guard gets called out following dud performance in Game 4 loss against Mavericks

Following Devin Booker’s injury in Game 2 of the Pelicans series, Deandre Ayton stepped up, took his game up a notch from the regular season, and delivered great basketball for 5/6 games after that. It resulted in 5 victories for the Suns.

But as Booker is trying and finding his feet, scoring 30 in two of the last five games, Ayton has struggled to get over his 20s for the last 3 games, and it’s time that they both delivered consistently.

Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton need to be their best versions and should take the reins over from Chris Paul believes Charles Barkley

Chris Paul has been terrific this off-season. He’s the one who has taken his offensive game (scoring-wise) up more than anyone else in Phoenix. But he’s been struggling for the past two games, and the Point God might take a game or two to get it going like it was for the first 8 games.

Before Game 5 on Tuesday at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, on the Pregame show on Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley had advice for DA and DB which they themselves must be yearning for.

“It’s time for Devin Booker & Deandre Ayton to step up.”

Chuck weighs in on the Phoenix Suns before Game 5 pic.twitter.com/d53RKYmEbR

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 10, 2022

At the end of the day, whichever way this game goes, it will require both those players to be in their best form if they want to win a chip as bad as CP3 does. But if the Mavericks somehow win today, it’d be making the series a lot more interesting than it already is.

Also read: “Y’all put your hands on Chris Paul ’s mom and wife on Mother’s Day?”: Fans support Suns star while he comes out with furious ‘f*ck that’ tweet as Mavs fan abuses his mother in Game 4 defeat

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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