Time for a Suns’ Turnaround: Devin Booker’s Blunt Words Aim to Spark Team’s Revival
Devin Booker admits that there is a significant amount of pressure that is mounting around him and the Phoenix Suns as their downslide continues.
In the aftermath of their 117-112 loss, the Suns superstar gets candid about their struggles and current season progress.
“Frustration level’s high,” Booker said. “We’re all competitors in here, and we realize these games are gonna cost us in the end of the season. You wanna do your work early pre-All-Star break before it comes down to the nitty gritty. And you never know what can happen, injuries can happen around that time, too.
“So we wanna gain some ground, get up out of the play-in position and just win every possible game.”
A reeling progress
With their Tuesday home loss against the Grizzlies, the Suns further dropped at the league standings.
They are now enduring a three-game losing skid — worsening their record to 15-17 which stands at the No. 11 spot of the West. From commencing the season with a strong 9-2 card, they’ve gone awful since then and stumbled to 6-15.
A major part of this eventual slump has been injuries as Kevin Durant notably missed multiple games from left calf strain and left ankle sprain from November to December. As such, entering Tuesday’s clash against Memphis, Phoenix’s five other players were listed inactive to play.
Booker himself just made his return after recovering from a five-game rest due to a groin injury, but struggled against the Grizzlies with 4-of-20 from the field.
“I got a lot of good looks, and I think just playing a few more games, getting back to regular minutes, but there’s no excuse for it,” he said of his poor night.
Optimistic to recover
Despite the recent hardships, the Suns remain steadfast in their capabilities to recover.
“We have guys that have won at a high level, that have high expectations, high standards,” head coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We gotta find ways to get better, so these are not easy times.
“But our guys will find a way through it, and we’ll find a way through it together.”
