The Suns are hanging by a thread. Following a shaky start, they have fallen to the twelfth spot in the West standings. And the primary focus seems to be on the uncertain future of Bradley Beal. Well, the Big Three experiment has not worked so far and the front office is reportedly looking to part ways with the former Wizards star. But the no-trade clause in Beal’s contract gives him the power to decide his fate. However, Mat Ishbia might now have an even bigger problem at hand. Devin Booker! It’s raining problems in the Phoenix.

Yes, Booker, who is usually the most reliable player on the Suns roster, is on a massive decline this season. Just 34 games in, he has shot 40% or less 13 times. That’s already more than when the Suns made a run to the NBA finals three years ago and tied to the 2022-23 season.

He has shot 30% or less, 5 times, only two games less than his highest total since his sophomore year! And 20% or less four times. Obviously, this shooting slump has led to his scoring averages dropping significantly to 24.1 points, Booker’s lowest since his second pro season.

Even during yesterday’s Sixers encounter, Booker barely managed to reach double-digits as he finished with ten points on an abysmal 3 of 16 shooting. Meanwhile, Beal was on fire despite coming off the bench for the first time in his Suns tenure. He led his team in scoring with 25 points and got them a much-needed victory. Sure enough, Booker’s unexpected downfall is a major reason for the team’s ongoing struggles and he even revealed how that has affected the locker room.

“Frustration level’s high. 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,” Booker said.

Devin Booker “didn’t expect” Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic’s removal from the starting lineup

Well, it took a bold move by Mike Budenholzer to snap the Suns’ four-game losing streak. Making Beal and Nurkic come off the bench. And Beal revealed postgame that he was “100 percent” surprised by the sudden change in his role. Turns out, even the inconsistent Booker was caught off guard by the same. “Something I didn’t expect coming, but Brad responded well, and Nurk responded well. They didn’t let it weigh on the locker room and it’s an important part of our win tonight.”

Book continued, “It’s the biggest part. You’ve got a lot of people with a lot of egos. To put that to the side and take it as what it is and still come out and perform at a high level is a true testament to their professionalism.”

Now that Bradley Beal has done his part by not going against the head coach’s decision, the responsibility lies on Devin Booker to step up his game and play at a superstar level again. Usually, January is the month when he turns it on, as his 25.6 ppg only trails March, his best month. So, he should be on pace to shift gears in the coming days and get the Suns back on track for playoff contention.

Do you think he can do it?