“Should’ve Been Drawn A Long Time Ago”: Devin Booker Vocal In His Disappointment Following Suns Loss To Pelicans

Since the end of January, the Phoenix Suns hold a 3-11 record. For a team that boasts the highest payroll in the NBA and is $73 million over the salary cap, it’s a run that spells disaster. After blowing their lead against the Pelicans last night, it seems that Devin Booker, too, recognizes the team’s dire straits.

The Suns faced an 18-point deficit in the first half but rallied back to gain a 7-point advantage late in the third quarter. However, an ice-cold 2 of 14 performance from three-point range in the final period allowed the Pelicans to mount a comeback, resulting in a 124-116 loss for the Phoenix side.

The Suns’ franchise scoring leader added 36 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists to the box score and was supported by Kevin Durant’s 28-point outing. Unfortunately, the superstars also shot themselves in the foot by shooting a dismal 10 of 29 from beyond the arc.

Phoenix has now lost 8 of its last 9 contests and finds itself entirely out of the Playoff conversation.

In fact, at 27-32, they are 3.5 games behind the 10th seed and a spot at the Play-In tournament. After losing to the 16-43 Pelicans at home, D-Book reflected on why his team has been spiraling downwards.

“I’d say just skipping over the details and always taking the ‘get ‘em next game’ mentality. At some point, you gotta draw a line, and it should’ve been drawn a long time ago,” the 28-year-old said during the post-game press conference.

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With the Suns landing Nick Richards and trading away Jusuf Nurkic in mid-January, they were optimistic that their roster would function more cohesively. Instead, they hold the third-lowest win percentage over the last 15 games.

The remarkable thing about their recent slump is that the Suns don’t rank in the bottom three in any other statistical category.

They have struggled to generate turnovers and second-chance points, but Booker believes that the only solution to their woes is stronger communication.

“Everybody has to be on the same page. It starts with the leaders of the team, obviously me, Brad [Beal], K and coach, but from my history, there’s 15, 20 guys on the sideline that know the game plan,” the four-time All-Star shared.

Though Book is trying to lead by example and put on a strong face as the longest-tenured member of the Suns, his demeanor does reveal some frustration, and understandably so.

Over the last 15 games, he’s averaged 28.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 7.5 assists, doing his utmost to pull his team out of the hole.

Kevin Durant, who has been in this position before, during his stint in Brooklyn, sympathized with Booker’s frustration. During a locker room interview last night, he explained how his teammates’ frustration can actually help them fuel a comeback.

“I feel like everybody wants to win. I feel like everybody’s pissed off. When you see bad body language, that means people care. And guys care in this locker room, and I can tell they’re pissed,” the two-time NBA champion reflected.

He also echoed his teammate’s call for stronger communication on the court.

“When guys keep that energy around and communicate, that shows that guys still wanna figure this thing out. So, I’m confident that our group will come out tomorrow with a sense of urgency and be better,” Durant added.

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The Suns will host the Pelicans again tonight in a back-to-back. Zion Williamson recorded his first career triple-double last night, tallying 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists to dispatch the home team.

Mike Budenholzer will have his hands full game-planning against the two-time All-Star as his Suns look to end their three-game losing skid tonight.