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This past week, I found myself roaming the streets of social media once again, searching for inspiration on what to write about. Such is life in late July when you cover the Phoenix Suns. It didn’t take long before I came across a conversation where I firmly stand on one side of the fence.
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The topic? Whether Devin Booker is a star or a superstar.
I believe it’s well documented that, at this moment, I view him as a star. There’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t hand out the superstar designation simply because I’m a fan of the player, a fan of the team, and want nothing more than to see him succeed. I try my best to approach these conversations logically and consider every side.
In my opinion, at this point in his career, Devin Booker is not a superstar. Why? While it’s a subjective term, I believe you can set some parameters around it. Being an All-Star, earning All-NBA honors, and winning multiple rounds in the postseason are the types of accomplishments that place a player in the rare air reserved for superstars. It is fluid. Just because you were in the club for a couple of years does not mean you have a table reserved.
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Fun fact: not every team has one. If every team had a superstar, there would be more than 30 of them in the league, and that simply isn’t the case. Calling everyone a superstar devalues the word.
Devin Booker is a star. He is someone you can build a team around, and he has also held the superstar designation in the past. Look back at 2021 and 2022. There’s no doubt Booker belonged in the conversation as one of the best players in the league. He finished fourth in MVP voting in 2022, and there was a legitimate argument about whether he was the best shooting guard in basketball at the time.
But as time has passed and the production has declined, he has found himself in that strange space between superstar and star. I understand why some people still consider him a superstar. It simply isn’t a designation I currently subscribe to.
That leads to the question I’d like to ask the Bright Side community. Is there a world where Devin Booker can regain that superstar status?
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The organization has pivoted over the past two seasons, moving from a roster that was incredibly top-heavy on salary to one that is much more balanced. Outside of the $36 million Jalen Green is making, the contract that stands out is the supermax money attached to Booker. Why does he make it? Because he has been loyal to the organization, and there are financial rewards that come with that loyalty, especially when you reach the heights he has. When you begin earning All-NBA honors, your contract increases. Booker accomplished those things in the past, and that is why he is paid like a superstar.
Can he once again earn the compensation he is being provided? Has the organization constructed a roster that puts him in a position to reclaim that superstar status? And what does the word superstar mean to you?
Take your time voting in the poll, then let me know in the comments how you define a superstar and whether you believe Devin Booker can reach that level again.