Phoenix Suns have missed the NBA playoffs for the eighth season in a row, and their rising star Devin Booker has had it enough.
“I’m done with not making the playoffs,” – Devin Booker said on Wednesday. “I’m serious. This is probably my last year ever not making the playoffs. If that’s putting pressure on myself, I’m going to take this summer and work that hard so that it doesn’t happen again.“
Phoenix Suns had their second-worst season in the history of the franchise, finishing with a 21-61 record. Despite the talented young core consisted of Devin Booker, Josh Jackson, and TJ Warren, the Suns didn’t manage to make a significant noise in the loaded Western Conference. They only did worse in their inaugural season in the NBA, when they went 16-66 in 1968-69. Booker, who is the reigning NBA All-Star three-point champion, now wants to change the current narrative for his team with a goal of “turning the franchise around and getting it back how it used to be.”
“You watch the highlights of [Charles] Barkley, [Steve] Nash and them and how alive the arena was,” – he added. “So, one of my goals is to get it back that way.“
Devin Booker emerged as the face of the franchise this year and ended the season averaging 24.9 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Despite the young talents on the roster, Phoenix Suns can also count on draft picks and salary cap space to help them make a serious playoff run in the future. They have the highest chance to land number one overall pick in this year’s draft, and will also have one or more additional first-round picks. The Suns will also be one of the few teams in NBA that will enter the summer free agency with more than $10 million in salary cap space.
