Suns Star Falls in NBA Top 100

Devin Booker is still considered an elite player despite dropping a few spots.

Oct 6, 2024; Palm Desert, California, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) moves the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Acrisure Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images / David Frerker-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The 2024-25 regular season debut for the Phoenix Suns is exactly a week away - and one of the most anticipated appearances on the court is none other than 10th-year megastar Devin Booker.

Booker is coming off of a season in which he earned an All-NBA 3rd team selection behind a robust statistical profile - but suffered an overall slight decline in reputation due to the regular season underachieving and the disastrous playoff exit for his team.

This is reflected in ESPN's top 100 ranking - an annual survey amongst a panel of several insiders and analysts. Booker was ranked 15th after coming into the 2023-24 season just outside of the top 10 at number 11.

Dave McMenamin wrote a brief synopsis on the ranking and a justification as to why he took a slight dip in the overall positioning.

"Booker has been a model of scoring consistency, averaging between 25.6 and 27.8 points in each of the past six seasons. And after being part of Team USA at the Paris Olympics, Booker was praised by coach Steve Kerr for all the parts of his game besides scoring -- playmaking, staunch defense, court awareness -- that helped the team win gold. His ranking has regressed ever so slightly because of team success as he went from putting up 40-point games in the 2021 Finals to getting swept out in the first round last year. But at 27 years old he is just scratching the surface of his prime."

- McMenamin on Booker

Booker was ranked below Jaylen Brown, Anthony Davis, Jalen Brunson, and Victor Wembanyama.

While the untimely playoff exit is something that must unfortunately be faced, it is a very curious decision to slot Wembanyama at 11 following a season in which the San Antonio Spurs only won 22 games. While it is entirely conceivable that the second-year Frenchman will be at the top of the league in short order, it feels premature to put him over Booker in this current moment.

Brunson could be considered a tossup after taking a major leap as a player on the offensive side of the ball, but Booker ultimately has a larger sample of being an elite player and still feels like a significantly better scorer.

It's difficult to argue Booker over Davis outside of scoring ability and durability - but those are both valid points of contention.

Brown is another curious selection - while he did just capture an NBA title and Finals MVP, it feels as if there are simply more complete players compared to him in this range - from Booker, to Donovan Mitchell, to even Ja Morant. The 14 spot just feels too generous and a product of winning bias here.

The positive thing in the fray of this is that Booker controls how he will ultimately be viewed in the future over the next several months. It is entirely believable that he could find himself in the top 10 this time next year if he were to lead the Suns to a much improved regular season output and a run in the postseason.

The other half of the Suns' superstar tandem is locked into the top 10 - Kevin Durant will likely be placed somewhere between 5 and 10 in the final revelation of the top 100 tomorrow.