Is Devin Booker playing tonight against the San Antonio Spurs? Latest on Suns superstar's availability (Feb. 20)
Devin Booker is one of the bright spots in the Phoenix Suns' season thus far. At 26-28, the Suns are struggling to get into the playoff picture. On Thursday, they'll look to snap a three-game losing streak by securing a victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
Suns fans will be glad to know that the four-time All-Star will be available in the matchup with the Spurs. Booker will be making his comeback after missing Phoenix's clash against the Houston Rockets right before the All-Star break.
This season, Booker is averaging 26.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. Though the 28-year-old is second only to Kevin Durant in terms of scoring production on the team, he's having one of the worst shooting seasons of his career from three-point territory. Booker's shooting clip of 33.9% is his worst percentage from outside since the 2018-2019 season.
Still, the two-time Olympic gold medalist remains a perimeter threat that offers spacing for the Suns' ball handlers to attack the interior. Recently, Booker added another entry to his resume when he became the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Suns franchise:
Booker broke Walter Davis' record when he scored 34 points in a road game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 3. The Suns, however, lost that game 121-119. As Booker returns to action on Thursday, he will look to help the team reverse their regular-season fortunes.
Devin Booker calls All-Star teammate a bona fide "hooper"
While Booker made his mark as the all-time leading scorer in Suns history, his All-Star teammate recently pulled off a feat that only seven other NBA players have done.
On Feb. 11, Kevin Durant broke the 30,000-point barrier in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies. In the wake of Durant's accomplishment, Booker offered high praise for his fellow Olympian:
"I’ve always said that that’s my favorite player," Booker said. "That’s a testament to the hard work, to the inventor of the nickname ‘hooper,’ that people use too loosely. He breeds it, he lives it, he sh**s it. This is his game, and he shows it."
Clearly, Booker has a profound respect for Durant — a respect that will perhaps endure even if the Suns do decide to pull the trigger on a Durant trade this offseason.