Devin Booker is officially an NBA All-Star for the fifth time in his career. The NBA announced on Sunday the list of the reserves, and the Phoenix Suns star made the cut.
While he's averaging 25.4 points, 6.2 assists, and four rebounds per game, this isn't his best statistical year. Even last season he had better statistics at this point in the season.
For much of the voting for reserves, it comes back to the coaches. That's something Suns head coach Jordan Ott emphasized with Booker.
But for the latter, he understands that his teammates were the ones who got him his fifth nomination.
“First I've got to thank the team… I've had statistically some better years where I didn't make the game… it all comes back to team success,” Booker said during the Suns broadcast on Sunday.
Devin Booker's All-Star nod shows the Suns' success
As has been the theme all season, Phoenix has surprised everyone with how impactful they've been. Along with Ott being a first-year head coach, the Suns have a 30-20 record.
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They currently sit at the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. But more impressive than anything would be that they've nearly matched last season's win total before the All-Star break.
Much of their success, though, comes from their All-Star. After all, Booker sets the tone for the Suns, and the team has understood that clearly.
Again, many accolades stem from team success, as he alluded to during his interview with the broadcast team. But that's not to say he hasn't improved his game at all.
For instance, Booker has handled double teams, blitzes, and traps, extremely well. Last season, he might've thrown the ball away or forced something to happen. Now, there's so much trust in the system, teammates, and the coach.
Even though he's bouncing back from an ankle sprain, his on-court work is encouraging. But it might also be noteworthy if he sits out for the remainder of the first-half of the season so he can play in the All-Star game.