Suns Star Devin Booker Finally Gets (Some of) The Respect He Deserves

The Phoenix Suns' star guard was ranked high on this list.

Apr 14, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) against the Portland Trail Blazers during the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

PHOENIX — Rarely do NBA stars feel overlooked and/or under-appreciated, but such has been the case for Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker.

That's not quite the truth locally — the franchise's all-time leading scorer could probably enter the team's Ring of Honor now and nobody would have a problem with it. Numerous athletes across numerous sports have all claimed Phoenix is Booker's city.

Yet outside, on a national landscape, it's been a different story. Since Phoenix's run to the 2021 NBA Finals, public opinion and narratives surrounding Booker have largely been either quiet or negative.

At least for a small window of time, that disrespect has stopped.

The Athletic recently ranked Booker as the No. 2 shooting guard in the league, only behind Minnesota's Anthony Edwards. Edwards, Booker and the third-ranked Donovan Mitchell are all in the first tier labeled "Potential MVP Candidates" ahead of this coming season.

"Edwards is clearly the NBA’s best shooting guard, and that’s not a knock on Booker or Mitchell. There is plenty of argument for Mitchell over Booker, but defense side swings it slightly in Book’s favor," wrote Harper.

To counter, fellow Suns guard Jalen Green was ranked just ahead of Bradley Beal for 22nd and 23rd spots at the position.

"I’m probably most interested in the players who fell to Tier 6, Green and Beal. Green was injured much of last season, and fitting next to Dillon Brooks and Booker will be paramount to his success. Beal is coming back from a hip fracture and wants to show he’s still got it. But I’m not sure that will be his role for the Clippers," Harper continued.

It's interesting to see Booker listed as a shooting guard here. Naturally, that's his position — but since Chris Paul's departure, he's been tasked with more organizing and playmaking with the ball in his hands.

However, he and Green (when healthy) split those duties. The Suns don't have a true or "traditional" point guard in the backcourt, which was even highlighted by The Athletic omitting of both Booker and Green in their point guard rankings ahead of the season.

That's a situation for second-year head coach Jordan Ott to figure out and/or handle, though with both guards coming back for 2026-27, it appears Phoenix believes they can work with it.

Regardless of what he's classified as, Booker still deserves respect across the league — and it was nice to see some of that paid.