Everything was smooth sailing for the Phoenix Suns when they went into the All-Star break with the best record in the NBA at 48-10.
Their 48 wins were tied with the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors (you know, the team that went 73-9) for the most in NBA history at the All-Star break, looking like the most complete team in the league.
Then, they were hit with some brutal news over All-Star weekend.
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Superstar guard Chris Paul suffered a hand injury in the team's final game before the break, which was later revealed as a fractured thumb. Paul is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks, which will likely take him through the end of the regular season to recover.
In his absence, All-Star guard Devin Booker was expected to take on primary playmaking duties and he did just that in the Suns' first game out of the break against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Booker slid over to point guard in the starting lineup fill Paul's void, and if you just looked at his final stat line, you wouldn't even notice a difference.
Booker only needed three quarters to tally a season-high 10 assists. He finished the game with 12 dimes, but the Paul tribute didn't end there.
Booker also had a few clutch buckets to put the game away down the stretch, and he tallied a career-high six steals.
25 points, 12 assists, six steals and a win. That's a very Chris Paul-esque stat line if you ask me.
Tonight, Book became the first Sun in franchise history with with 25+ PTS, 12+ ASTS, 6+ STLS and 5+ REBS in a game. (h/t @Stathead) pic.twitter.com/gyqUnmCwLb
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) February 25, 2022
Booker is no stranger to setting the table on offense. In the two seasons prior to Paul's arrival in Phoenix, Booker was playing a James Harden-like role for the Suns, being used as the team's primary scorer and distributor from the shooting guard position.
He averaged a career-high 6.8 assists in 2018-19, followed by his second-highest assist average of his career in 2019-20 with 6.5 per game.
When Paul came to town last season, the need for Booker's passing became secondary, but we did see flashes of his lead-playmaking capabilities again in the playoffs.
When Paul was forced to miss Games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols, "Point Book" was called to action. (Okay, he stayed at shooting guard because Cameron Payne filled the point guard spot, but everything ran through Booker.)
Booker had his best game of the entire postseason in the first game without Paul by his side, dropping a 40-point triple-double with 13 rebounds and 11 assists to give the Suns a 1-0 lead over the LA Clippers.
He constantly used his gravity as a scorer to his advantage, shifting the Clippers' defense to find open shooters on the perimeter.
Expect to see something similar during the homestretch of this season. The Suns have positioned themselves comfortably atop the Western Conference playoff picture, so there is no rush in getting Paul back before the postseason.
As a result, Booker will continue to be the lead playmaker, putting together more unselfish performances like the one in the first game out of the All-Star break.
The 25-year-old continues to improve every facet of his game and it will be a sight to see him morph into this new role over the final 23 games.
