Sacrifice is all too common for NBA players. For instance, Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker was the unsung MVP of Team USA because of his selfless play. As a result, Carmelo Anthony sees that as a detriment to the Suns’ guard.
On the 7 PM in Brooklyn Podcast, he detailed why the struggles have occurred.
“I think [Devin Booker] is suffering from the USA team. Not suffering [negatively]… He’s been impacted by the culture of Team USA… Now you come back to Phoenix but have a different mentality on winning now.”
— Carmelo Anthony
(via @7PMinBrooklyn)pic.twitter.com/LOuq4bQmX2
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 29, 2025
“I think [Devin Booker] is suffering from the USA team,” Anthony said. “Not suffering [negatively]… He’s been impacted by the culture of Team USA… Now you come back to Phoenix but have a different mentality on winning now.”
The mentality of Team USA is putting the team ahead of yourself. With guys like Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant, those are three of the best players ever to play the game.
As a result, Booker wasn’t going to have the ball in his hands a majority of the time. He deferred to those three to make the tough plays. Simultaneously, he was doing all of the little things.
Playing defense, being a catch-and-shoot guy, along with fitting into his role was what USA needed. They ended up winning the Gold Medal against France in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Coming back to the States though, there was a difference. Booker has deferred to Durant a ton, and played within the offensive system. There hasn’t been the takeover ability that has been present in past seasons.
Carmelo Anthony sees Team USA culture influencing Suns’ Devin Booker
The Team USA culture is a beneficial one, to say the least. Again, it is based on selflessness and making the right play. However, the NBA can be a bit different than that sometimes.
At certain points, the superstars will need to take over a game. For instance, Booker dropped 47 points against the Utah Jazz without Durant and Bradley Beal.
The scoring mentality was on display, and he was doing everything to will his team to a win. The winning mentality has been there, but the killer instinct has been dialed back a bit. As a result, Booker was a bit disappointing to start the Suns season.
His numbers still support him being a top player at his position. 25.3 points, and 7.1 assists per game is still impressive. However, that headspace he was in with Chris Paul as his teammate, seems to be forgotten.
That side of Booker hasn’t been there for the past season. Although the two-man game of Booker and Durant has been elite, the franchise guard has sacrificed his takeover ability.
With only eight games left, the Suns will need everything they can get. As they’re desperately fighting for a play-in spot, time is ticking.
Giving Booker the green light to takeover will be a must for the Suns chances of heading to the play-in and possibly the playoffs.
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