Suns' Kevin Durant: 'We Can't Go Where We Want to Go' Without Devin Booker
Following a 122-119 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, Phoenix Suns superstar forward Kevin Durant stressed the importance of Devin Booker to the Suns' success moving forward.
When asked by The Athletic's Doug Haller about Booker, KD said: "[Booker] makes this thing go. Without him, we can't go where we want to go. He just puts so much pressure on defenses, and he guards [multiple positions]. We miss him."
Despite entering the 2023-24 season as one of the top contenders in the Western Conference, the Suns are off to an uneven 4-5 start.
Phoenix acquired Durant from the Brooklyn Nets player to the trade deadline last season and landed Bradley Beal in a trade with the Washington Wizards during the offseason, giving it one of the best trios in the NBA when adding Booker into the mix.
Booker has been the one constant for the Suns over the past nine seasons, earning three All-Star selections, leading Phoenix to the NBA Finals once and averaging 24.0 points per contest in 532 career games.
The star guard's presence has been sorely missed this season, as he has sat out seven of the team's nine games with ankle and calf injuries.
Beal has also missed seven games, but he has returned for the past two, and played well against L.A., recording 24 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Durant has been the unquestioned go-to guy for the Suns so far this season, putting up MVP-caliber numbers in the form of 30.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists per contest in nine games.
The Durant and Beal trades drained Phoenix of much of its depth, which is why it can ill afford to be without an of its "Big 3" for extended periods of time.
Eric Gordon, Grayson Allen and Jusuf Nurkić have been the main complementary contributors, but none of them come close to replacing what an elite scorer like Booker brings to the table.
Booker's next potential chance to return to action will come Sunday when the Suns host the Oklahoma City Thunder.
