Suns' Former Backcourt Duo Named One of Best in Recent Years

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns have won a lot of basketball games since the NBA bubble in 2020.

That memory seems to be fresh in the minds of many, especially Bleacher Report NBA writer David Kenyon.

In a piece ranking the best backcourts of the last decade, the famed duo of Devin Booker and Chris Paul landed as the fourth best, ahead of John Wall/current Suns guard Bradley Beal, Kyle Lowry/DeMar DeRozan, and C.J. McCollum/Damian Lillard.

The reasoning as to why the dynamic pair was placed at number four was fairly straightforward.

Devin Booker and Chris Paul just made so much sense.

By the 2020-21 campaign, Booker had become a star player for the Phoenix Suns. However, the franchise won no more than 24 games in his first four seasons and managed a 34-39 mark in the previous year. Phoenix needed a jolt—and found it with Chris Paul.

The veteran played a key role in the Suns ending an 11-year playoff drought and making the NBA Finals. In three seasons with Phoenix, CP3 averaged 15.1 points and 9.5 assists with a pair of All-NBA and All-Star nods.

Booker, meanwhile, poured in 26.6 points per game and earned his first All-NBA team, along with two All-Star appearances.

In addition to taking the Western Conference in 2020-21, the Suns posted a league-high 64 victories in the following year. They didn't win a title with Booker and CP3, but their offensive output was terrific.
Kenyon

While this pair of stars failed to secure the first title in Suns' history, they were the catalysts behind one of the most exciting eras of basketball in franchise history. They helped the Suns reach the NBA Finals for the first time in nearly three decades. They ultimately brought the franchise out of a near-decade of misery.

Paul arguably should be a ring of honor recipient even after just three seasons in the Valley, and Booker is more than on his way to being among the best players in franchise history.

The two guards were obviously optimal fits next to each other from the start, and the unfortunate end to the previous era doesn't change how meaningful it was.

Booker/Paul were ranked below only James Harden/Chris Paul, Luka Doncic/Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson/Stephen Curry.

Paul ultimately could have an opportunity to revive this pairing in July, as Arizona Sports insider John Gambadoro reported one of the Suns' "big three" priorities this offseason is to acquire a point guard that can play 18-20 minutes per game while also being able to start in spots and come off the bench alike.

You can read more about that here.