By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker touched on how his team has transformed over the last couple of years and became a prominent championship candidate after struggling in the last spots in the standings.
“We were probably the laughing stock of the NBA about 4-5 years ago and just turning that around to something serious, to championships contenders, is a quick turnaround for us,” Booker said per Kellan Olson. “We take a lot of pride in what we’ve built here.”
Devin Booker: "We were probably the laughing stock of the NBA about 4-5 years ago and just turning that around to something serious, to championships contenders, is a quick turnaround for us. We take a lot of pride in what we've built here."
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) February 14, 2023
From 2017 to 2019, the Suns finished 15th overall in the NBA and reached rock-bottom during the latter season with a 19-63 record. It was the second-worst season performance in the history of the franchise after 1969 (16-66).
2019-20 marked an improvement with a 10th-place finish and in 2021, the Suns made the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993. They began the series against the Milwaukee Bucks but then suffered fourth straight defeats as Giannis Antetokounmpo and co. won the title.
The 2021-22 regular season was an impressive one for the Suns as they registered a new franchise record 64 wins. Booker had the most productive campaign until then with career-highs 26.8 points, 5.0 rebounds plus 4.8 assists. Driven by Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks put an end to their run in the Western Conference semifinals.
Now, and with superstar Kevin Durant’s addition, the Suns are possibly the team to beat in the West. Phoenix was KD’s preferred destination and Booker believes that’s because how the club has established itself as legitimate powerhouse again.
“For this to be a destination that Kev wanted to come to is a big sign of that, to show respect of what we’ve done so far,” Booker commented. “We still have more to do but we’re moving in the right direction.”