Why is Devin Booker not playing in 2025 NBA Playoffs? Suns star's absence from postseason explored
Devin Booker had another All-Star-level season this year, as part of one of the league's best scoring duos alongside Kevin Durant, but won't be involved in this year's playoffs. Booker and the Suns were officially eliminated from playoff contention, marking the end of one of the more disappointing seasons in the NBA.
The Phoenix Suns finished the season 36-46, three games behind tenth-seeded Dallas Mavericks, leaving them on the outside looking in of the playoffs. Devin Booker and the Suns have had a puzzling year that has left the fans bewildered at how the team didn't qualify for the playoffs despite Booker and Durant both playing in nearly all the games of the team.
Although the struggles of the team late in the season are not entirely his responsibility, Devin Booker was not happy with the way his season ended. He will miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-2020 season, in which the Suns went unbeaten in the NBA bubble and came up just short of the eighth spot in the West.
"It's a whole different setup," said Booker when asked about the differences between the Suns teams before and after their big trades. "We have different players, we have different coaches, so it's totally opposite to a new system."
The Suns fired Mike Budenholzer after his first season with the team, marking the third time in as many seasons that the team has moved on from their head coach. Devin Booker has never had a reliable presence on the sideline outside of the three years he spent with Monty Williams at the helm. The revolving door at that spot has made it difficult for the team to have much consistency.
When the Suns were eliminated, Devin Booker provided some insight into the difference between the 2021 Phoenix Suns team that made it to the Finals and the previous few iterations of the team. While the Suns have added superstars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal to the roster, it has yet to show significant results, so the Suns are left with gigantic decisions this off-season.
Recapping Devin Booker and the Suns' dismal season
The Phoenix Suns got off to a hot start this season, starting the year by winning nine of their first ten games. Since then, though, the Suns have struggled to find any kind of consistency with their roster, despite the fact that their top two stars played a majority of the season together, with Durant being selected as an All-Star for the 15th time in his career.
The Suns fell down the standings in the Western Conference and couldn't keep up with elite teams throughout the year because of the scoring dropoff between their dynamic duo and the rest of the roster. That, combined with a bottom ten defense in points allowed per game, saw the Suns struggle to climb up the standings, even failing to catch an injured Dallas Mavericks team for the tenth seed.
Although Devin Booker's efficiency took a hit this season, he is still one of the best shooting guards in the NBA and will still be in the running for the All-Star game as long as he remains healthy. The irritating thing for him is that the support around him is likely going to change again once the offseason arrives.
The Suns are a second apron team, making it difficult for them to make big roster moves. With Bradley Beal still willing to exercise his no-trade clause, the only significant move the Suns are able to make is a trade involving Kevin Durant. Phoenix and Durant have reportedly both expressed mutual interest in testing trades over the offseason as the Suns look to re-build around Booker.