Devin Booker may never need a national reminder of who he is, but he just got one anyway.
The Athletic’s latest position rankings put the Suns guard at No. 2 among shooting guards, behind only Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards. Booker, Edwards and Donovan Mitchell - ranked third - were placed in the first tier, “Potential MVP Candidates,” heading into the coming season.
That kind of placement cuts against the way Booker has often been treated outside Phoenix. Locally, there’s no mystery about his standing.
He’s the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, and the argument that he belongs in the Suns’ Ring of Honor now wouldn’t raise many eyebrows. Around the city, plenty of athletes from plenty of sports have already said Phoenix belongs to Booker.
Nationally, though, the conversation has been quieter and, at times, harsher since the Suns’ run to the 2021 NBA Finals. For a stretch, Booker’s name seemed to drift more than it should have for a player of his caliber.
So this ranking stands out.
Harper wrote, “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,”
The same rankings also slotted Suns guard Jalen Green just ahead of Bradley Beal, with Green at 22nd and Beal at 23rd. Harper said, “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,”
Booker’s label as a shooting guard also says something about how Phoenix is being viewed. That’s his natural position, but since Chris Paul left, Booker has taken on more of the ball-handling, organizing and playmaking responsibilities. Green shares those duties when healthy, and the Suns do not have a true or “traditional” point guard in the backcourt.
The Athletic’s point guard rankings left both Booker and Green off the list, which only underscores the uncertainty around how Phoenix will sort out the backcourt. That’s a task for second-year head coach Jordan Ott, though the fact that both guards are coming back for 2026-27 suggests the Suns believe they can make it work.
However Phoenix chooses to define him, Booker’s standing is hard to miss now. For once, some of the league’s respect has finally caught up.
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