Devin Booker seized his moment the first chance he got in the NBA spotlight. After the 8-0 bubble run, what’s next for the star of the Phoenix Suns? Ever since he entered the 2015 NBA Draft pegged as a spot-up shooter, Devin Booker has spent the first five years of his career defying expectations. And
Phoenix Suns
The “role player” label is too good for Mikal Bridges, who’s on the verge of breaking out into a special two-way player with the Phoenix Suns. The Phoenix Suns are finally relevant again, and all eyes are turning to their foundational stars: Devin Booker, who’s toiled away for years with lackluster teammates, deprived of the
Heading into his third season, with heightened expectations for the Phoenix Suns and Chris Paul alongside him, it’s gut-check time for Deandre Ayton. The Phoenix Suns‘ 8-0 run in the NBA bubble gets more and more remarkable with each passing day, not only because it helped make the organization look more attractive to established, talented
Although cap space was tight around the league, these five teams came out ahead after NBA free agency. Heading into 2020 NBA free agency, it appeared as though few teams would be able to make significant upgrades. Only a handful of squads had any salary-cap space at their disposal, and the free-agent class could be
The Phoenix Suns were quiet to start free agency but got a great pickup in Jae Crowder. He’s not the marquee free-agency signing some were hoping for in the wake of the Chris Paul trade, but make no mistake about it: Jae Crowder is a sneaky-good addition for the Phoenix Suns. It was a quiet
Could the Phoenix Suns really get Chris Paul? Despite their success in the NBA’s Orlando bubble, the Oklahoma City Thunder and their stockpile of draft picks are likely headed for a full-on rebuild with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the focal point. While this desire has put future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul squarely in the rumor mill, Paul
The Phoenix Suns have decided to chase the playoffs and trade for Chris Paul. The Phoenix Suns needed a big splash to get back into the playoffs for the first time in years, and they finally managed to pull one off by swinging a trade for Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul. Paul and Abdel
If the Phoenix Suns keep their 10th overall pick, these 10 prospects could be in play. Trade buzz is heating up as the 2020 NBA Draft approaches, and the Phoenix Suns have already been linked to Chris Paul. Knowing the Oklahoma City Thunder, general manager Sam Presti will be prying for draft compensation of some
Tyrese Haliburton will have plenty of suitors in the 2020 NBA Draft. Where would he fit best? Iowa State doesn’t send tons of stars to the lottery, but during the 2019-20 season, the Cyclones were led by one of the best prospects in the 2020 NBA Draft. Point guard Tyrese Haliburton is the best Swiss
The NBA’s City Edition jerseys have been hit or miss. Unveiling a new NBA jersey is equal parts exciting and nerve-racking. While it’s cool to see some of the fresh new threads teams will unveil, it also becomes painfully obvious which teams tried to do too much and came up with some of the worst-looking
Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images BOXRAW: From a long shot clothing startup to a prominent boxing brand by Jeremy Herriges Amar’e Stoudemire and Steve Nash are together again on the Brooklyn Nets. No, this is not a sentence from 2014. Read it again: Amar’e Stoudemire and Steve Nash will be reunited on an NBA team
Jeremy Lin wants to give it one last try in the NBA. After winning an NBA title as a seldom-used backup with the Toronto Raptors, Jeremy Lin crossed the Pacific and starred in China last year. While Lin could stay in Beijing and continue to dominate, he has his eyes on the NBA as he
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. So many players have changed their reputations in the NBA Bubble, taking leaps and making statements about ceilings raised. And perhaps no trio has forced more perceptual change
SPRINGFIELD, MA – SEPTEMBER 07: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2018 enshrinee Steve Nash (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) Did Jamie Newman hurt his NFL Draft stock by opting out at Georgia? by Mike Luciano The Brooklyn Nets have hired Steve Nash as their next head coach. The Brooklyn Nets spent most
The Suns sent positive vibes Brooklyn’s way with a photo of Devin Booker in a Nets jersey. The only team that might have been as dominant as the Phoenix Suns during this NBA restart is the Suns’ social media team. This usually impressive group has always been great, but since Phoenix started giving people reasons
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s one-game suspension could have a big impact on the Western Conference playoff picture. After being ejected for a headbutt on Moritz Wagner Tuesday night, Giannis Antetokounmpo has officially been suspended by the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks‘ final seeding game on Thursday. This one-game suspension may seem inconsequential for a Bucks squad that’s
The Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns won to keep playoff hopes alive. The only NBA playoff spot that’s not currently locked in is the 8-seed in the Western Conference. On Thursday, four key matchups will ultimately decide which two teams will be competing in the league’s play-in game(s), which will pit the current 8-seed against
The Portland Trail Blazers secured their play-in spot with Thursday’s win. The Portland Trail Blazers had a simple task entering their final seeding game on Thursday night: Win or go home. After the Memphis Grizzlies secured a play-in spot with a win over the Milwaukee Bucks earlier in the day, followed quickly by the Phoenix
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 03: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors looks on in the second half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on February 03, 2020 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the
There is hope on the horizon: as more and more teams continue to re-open their facilities, the NBA would seem that much closer to a return. That said, there is still a very long road ahead. And, in the meantime, Basketball Insiders has done our best to help mitigate the monotony of quarantine. Recently, we’ve
Welcome back to Basketball Insiders’ “Looking Back” series! We’ve already gone over how the first and second overall pick have fared since 2009, so naturally, the next pick up is the third overall pick. Like with the first two, we categorize these players by if they are hits, misses, in the middle, or role players.
Last week, Basketball Insiders dove into NBA nostalgia by looking back at previous NBA drafts of recent memory, starting from 2014 all the way to 2017. Over the next two weeks, we’re going to be changing the formula up a tad. Instead of looking at entire drafts, we’re looking at the individual picks – starting
The NBA, as are most major sports, is a star-driven. LeBron James, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, etc. carry the day in regards to popularity, production and success, whether on the court or otherwise. That said, and despite what some may say to the contrary, no one man can take home the Larry O’Brien trophy alone.
To grasp how one can be underrated, the definition for rated must be first observed, obviously. Taking a page out of the apathetic/lazy/Jeff Winger best man speech how-to guide and textbook, Webster’s Dictionary states that rate (and its many tenses) is to “assign a standard or value to (something) according to a particular scale.” In
To say the events of the past three or so weeks were irregular would be the understatement of the year. And during an already tragic year for the NBA, the league made the tough choice to postpone the season, prior to government intervention, on Wednesday, Mar. 11. In the two-plus weeks since the COVID-19 outbreak
Always one of the most entertaining times of the year, the trade deadline is an annual must-see event for basketball fans. But in addition to the excitement it brings, it can also introduce a headwind of confusion. Case in point: The three-team trade between the New York Knicks, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers. After
Cameron Johnson was one of the more surprising reaches in the 2019 NBA Draft, but is that risk already paying off for the Phoenix Suns? Make no mistake about it: When the Phoenix Suns traded down from the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft to add Dario Saric and eventually draft Cameron Johnson
The NBA All-Stars rosters didn’t have many misses but Russell Westbrook taking a spot from Devin Booker was a huge one. What made Russell Westbrook the 2017 NBA MVP is the same thing that will make him an All-Star in 2020. His reputation for the spectacular. An attraction to hard-nosedness on the part of fans,
Before we begin, something, or someone, needs to be addressed- the death of one Kobe “Bean” Bryant. The NBA community lost one of its biggest icons over the weekend when Bryant lost his life in a helicopter crash. This news is very tragic seeing how popular Kobe was both during and after his time in
Winning in the NBA is not easy by any means — but a victory on the road is almost more valuable than one at home. Maybe not as far as standings are concerned, but road wins are harder to come by in the league. Being able to get victories away from home can shoot your