Entering 11th year, Devin Booker’s presence gives Suns much-needed stability during a turbulent time

PHOENIX (AP) — There’s a lot of new people surrounding the Phoenix Suns these days, from first-year coach Jordan Ott to first-year general manager Brian Gregory to new players like Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Mark Williams and Khaman Maluach.

One thing hasn’t changed — Devin Booker plans on being a force for this franchise.

The four-time All-Star is entering his 11th season with the Suns, growing from a 19-year-old rookie to one of the most respected and accomplished shooting guards in the league. Still in his prime, the 29-year-old is the unquestioned leader of a team that’s trying to bounce back from a string of tough seasons.

“The leadership aspect is going to be more important than ever this year — just realizing our roster, the age of our roster and the experiences I’ve had and what I’ve seen,” Booker said. “I’m going to do what I can and I’m always going to use my voice.”

Booker — who signed a $145 million, two-year extension during the offseason that will keep him in Phoenix through 2030 — is already the leading scorer in franchise history, passing greats like Walter Davis, Kevin Johnson, Shawn Marion, Amar’e Stoudemire and Steve Nash.

Now he’s working to lead the franchise back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2021. That’s an ambitious goal considering where the Suns are at in their current rebuild, but he’s optimistic that the team’s young core will gel quickly.

He’s seen it happen before.

“Although we didn’t get it done in ‘21, I was able to see it go from the bottom almost to the top,” Booker said. “It wasn’t easy, but just understanding that it’s an everyday grind and it starts right now.”

Later, he added: “I have unfinished business here.”

Phoenix remade its roster after last year’s 36-46 debacle, firing coach Mike Budenholzer and shipping 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets. The Suns also bought out the contract of three-time All-Star Bradley Beal, who is with the Clippers.

Now Booker is surrounded by a much younger core that includes Green, Brooks and the 19-year-old Maluach, a 7-foot-2 center who was drafted with the No. 10 overall selection. The three players were all part of the return from the Rockets in the Durant trade.

Green is a promising young guard who averaged 20.1 points per game over four seasons in Houston after being drafted No. 2 overall in 2021. Brooks is known as a defensive stopper and an emotional leader, but also averaged 14 points per game for the Rockets last season while shooting nearly 40% from 3-point range.

The Suns dealt for 7-foot center Mark Williams, a 23-year-old who was productive when healthy during his first three seasons with the Charlotte Hornets. Phoenix is gambling that he can stay on the floor and grow into one of the game’s better big men.

There’s also a handful of holdovers who played quite a bit last season, including Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro.

The Suns are now led by the 40-year-old Ott, who comes to the Suns after spending more than a decade rising up the ranks of the NBA coaching world. He’s spent time with the Hawks, Nets, Lakers and most recently the Cavaliers, who had the best record in the league’s Eastern Conference last season.

Ott said Booker’s deep commitment to the franchise is a luxury that most teams don’t have.

“How lucky am I?” Ott said. “First year head coach, to have a superstar, a guy that’s proven in this league, a guy that’s done it at every single level in the NBA, the Olympics. I think whatever’s happened in the past has happened in the past.

“This is his team.”

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