“Suns Could Win a Title if…”: Despite Devin Booker’s Point Guard Claim, Former Teammate Lists Hindrance in Championship Aspirations

Hitesh Nigam | 05/12/2023
“Suns Could Win a Title if...”: Despite Devin Booker’s Point Guard Claim, Former Teammate Lists Hindrance in Championship Aspirations

The Phoenix Suns have once again come back to winning ways after facing defeat in back-to-back games. Even though they put up a magical seven-game streak, the Suns side have not been able to bring their A-game this season due to the erratic presence of their star guards, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Still recovering from injuries, the absence of both guards has led to Kevin Durant playing multiple roles for the team.

With a 12-8 record, Phoenix is currently comfortably placed in the fourth spot on the Western Conference table. However, NBA analysts have continuously pointed out the need for a point guard for the team to succeed. Recently, Booker’s former teammate, Trevor Ariza, raised similar concerns, during his appearance on the ‘Club Shay Shay‘ podcast.

When host Shannon Sharpe asked Ariza about the chances of the superstar trio in Phoenix of KD, Booker, and Beal, winning a championship together, the former Lakers forward had an interesting condition for that to happen. He said, “If they got a point guard.”

Sharpe was somewhat surprised by the answer as he queried, “It looks like it going to be Book!” However, to Sharpe’s astonishment, Ariza stated that he didn’t consider Book to be a point guard. On the contrary, he saw the Suns star as more of a shooting guard like KD because, “Book scores 70 points in the NBA.”

As per the 2009 NBA champion, the absence of a proper ball handler is the main issue clouding the Suns’ chances of winning a title this season. The trio of Beal, KD, and D-Book are all great 2-guards. Therefore, the Desert side needs a good PG to feed them during games and preferable contribute on the defensive end as well.

Devin Booker considers himself the true PG

During the post-game interview after a recent matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, Devin Booker confidently declared himself as the point guard of the team. As per #1, “I am the point guard, he [KD] is the scorer.” Averaging 27.9 points and 8.4 assists per game, there are doubts about his ability as a feeder for the Suns squad.

Meanwhile, the leading scorer of the team, Kevin Durant, feels that the trio won’t feel the lack of a PG, as Book is there to fulfill the role. Even though injury issues and lack of playmaking abilities can be a point of criticism for the Booker-Beal duo, there are few doubts about their ability to lead the offense and make a title run for the Suns.

Post Edited By: Satagni Sikder
Bradley Beal Devin Booker Kevin Durant Trevor Ariza

About the author

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Hitesh Nigam

Hitesh Nigam is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. As a Post-graduate in Journalism and an enthusiastic sports lover, Nigam combines his skills to chunk out informative and interesting content. He found his love in Basketball as a schoolboy after witnessing the greatness of LBJ. As a State-level Basketball player, Nigam is well aware of the on-field intricacies. He is a hardcore LA Lakers fan and loves the playstyle of their SG, Austin Reaves. Apart from NBA, Nigam loves watching and analyzing NFL matches.

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