Vinny’s View: Devin Booker saved the day, again

The reports of Devin Booker’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.

And the Phoenix Suns’ reaction to that first sentence should be “thank goodness.”

Booker had 30 points, including a huge three-pointer at the end of the shot clock, a big steal and two enormous free throws in the final 24 seconds of a harder-than-it-should-have-been 101-96 win over the Charlotte Hornets Thursday night.

Since the calendar turned to November, Booker has looked like his vintage self. He’s averaging 27.4 points per game on 49 percent shooting and is just a shade under 40 percent from deep. The Suns are 4-3 during the month after logging a 1-3 record in October, including Booker’s curious non-involvement in a loss at Oklahoma City.

Make no mistake, Book is currently carrying the Suns offensively. They’re expectedly getting little output from the center position. Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green and Miles Bridges all look like they’re still finding their footing. Green played only 20:53 on Thursday and was nowhere to be found in a close fourth quarter, with head coach Jordan Ott opting to go with Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin. Frustrated fans have been clamoring for a change in the starting lineup, so it’ll be curious to see if Ott sees it the same way with Green, who has struggled in adjusting to his new role on this team.

The Suns also mitigated getting killed on the glass by once again forcing a boatload of turnovers. Phoenix coaxed Charlotte into 25 turnovers, which they turned into 38 points. Every member of the Hornets’ starting five had at least four giveaways.

This one won’t get hung in any museum, but wins are wins in the NBA, and the Suns need to manufacture as many as they can against marginalized opponents like Charlotte.

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