Down 0-2, the Suns’ star needs to look inward and lead this team back into the series.

Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images

You’re not going anywhere if your stars can’t get you there. For Devin Booker, it has been a rough start to the 2024 postseason. He isn’t providing the production that we’ve seen from him in playoffs past. Known to go “boom” in the postseason, Booker appears a step too slow and his shot is a little too off thus far. I hope it’s not those Book 1’s, because based on personal experience, they are the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn.

If Booker isn’t clicking, the Phoenix Suns have no chance of beating the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Credit the Wolves smothering defense as they are getting under his skin. What is causing the disruption is the length and tenacity of the Timberwolves, primarily that of 6’9” Jaden McDaniels. Granted, he is getting away with a bruising style of defense, but the jailhouse NBA rules permit that nowadays, so adjust or stay home.

We’ve seen it before in Devin Booker’s career. Three seasons ago, when he was matched up against Matisse Thybulle of the Philadelphia 76ers, you could see the frustration that came from disruption. Physicality combined with length is a recipe for success defensively against Booker and the Timberwolves are unlocking that narrative once again.

Book isn’t the tallest player and he isn’t the longest. His physical limitations are what prevent him from going from good to great, from star to superstar. His ability to shoot and get elevation on his jump shot is what has allowed him to be such a successful scorer in the NBA. But sometimes, you just need that little bit extra. That little bit of extra separation. That little bit extra relative to physicality. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary? That little bit extra.

Jaden McDaniels has done a quality job locking up Booker in this series, and it’s starting to get to Devin. With McDaniels guarding him in this series, Booker has just 3 points. That is on 53.9 partial possessions. He’s 1-of-6 from the field (16.7%) and has been blocked twice.

Devin Booker with Jaden McDaniels guarding him this series:53.9 possessions❄️1-of-6 shooting (16.7 FG%)❄️Blocked twice pic.twitter.com/z2canQYVKr

— John Voita (@DarthVoita) April 24, 2024

A shoving match between the two ensued in Game 2 after a Booker personal foul which resulted in a technical foul on Jaden McDaniels. Booker eventually fouled out of the game, earning his 6th in such a fashion that it appeared that he was just done playing. Done competing. Done trying.

“My frustration is just within the team,” Booker said after the loss. “We need to execute. We play well when we’re playing and then we need to stick together once things turn bad. We’ve done that throughout the season. Something that has to be corrected.”

**Warning: Fan Reaction Incoming**: Um, they’ve done it at times during the season, but not consistently. That has been an issue with this team and we once against witnessed it on Tuesday night. Stick together? Do it from the front, not from the sidelines after fouling out. Walk the talk, Suns. Oh yeah…you haven’t done that all year.

Okay. That was my harsh reactionary fan take. You’re going to get those here. At the end of the day, like a stray fart or case of the hiccups, I just can’t help it.

Beyond the physical game is the mental game and the lackadaisical nature in which the Suns have operated throughout the regular season. Booker included. After all, he’s just “chilling”, right? It’s not a one-off. It’s behavioral at this point. It is having a lasting effect that is carrying over into the postseason.

It is what most of us feared.

There’s no “on” switch that any team can simply flip. Perhaps they can for a small period, but if you’re going win a championship — or even a series — you need to have an identity. You need to know who you are. You need to have chemistry. The Suns lack all of the above, combined with a lack of grit, tenacity, and mental toughness. And deliverable accountability.

That is what has allowed the Timberwolves to take a lead heading back to Phoenix. They are playing connected basketball whereas the Suns are not.

At 27, Booker is in his prime. This is his opportunity with the best talent around him that he has ever had to step up and lead the purple and orange to a championship. That hasn’t happened.

Devin Booker on what the Suns are missing in being able to handle adversity: “Communication….So far in the series, once it’s turned to shit, we’ve kind of separated instead of being together. And that’s everybody, top to bottom.” pic.twitter.com/MKH9hWtrA0

— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) April 24, 2024

He’s averaging 19.0 points on 37.9/25.0/92.9 splits. He has 5 assists and 3.5 turnovers. Booker is allowing Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards to dictate the pace, not the other way around. He is the one who’s playing like it is one of his first runs in the playoffs; he has been the mentally weak one.

If the Suns have any chance to turn this series around, it’s not going to come behind 60-point Kevin Durant masterclasses. It’s going to come from a productive Booker on both ends of the floor, leading the way with his attitude and effort, combined with ancillary players feeding off of him. Designed sets rather than isolation

Jaden McDaniels presents a unique challenge for Booker, but not one he hasn’t navigated before. He has the s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 and ability to create the appropriate space to get his shot off effectively. He isn’t dead in this series by any means. He must now prove he has the mental toughness to navigate this matchup as well.

The way that the Suns, and most notably Booker, have played in the first two games is unacceptable. But it’s also expected, isn’t it? That’s the sad part about this.

The expectations that we had prior to the season are not the expectations we had entering this postseason. Something changed along the way. It was the way that this team connected on the court, executed nightly throughout the season, and appeared unfocused. We are now focused on them as they attempt to dig themselves out of a 0-2 hole. Do they have the right tools to do it? Or are they trying to do so with a spoon?

This is Booker’s team. Booker’s city. He has to be the one to right the ship. He has to be the one to carry Phoenix through the hard times. He’s seen them before. For if he doesn’t, the season is over.