A lot of Suns fans look back at the Chris Paul era and believe the only way Devin Booker can return to that level of success is playing alongside a “traditional” point guard.

I think they’re looking at this all wrong.

There’s no denying that Book played some of the best basketball of his career when CP3 was in Phoenix. But that doesn’t mean the Suns need to find another Chris Paul to unlock their franchise player. In fact, I think people’s obsession with finding a traditional point guard could distract people from what it actually needs to build a successful team around Booker.

I think almost everyone can agree that the best basketball of Devin Booker’s career so far was the 2021 Finals run and the historic 64-win season in 2021-2022 season. Book looked like a superstar, Phoenix was winning at an incredible rate and the team appeared capable of competing for a championship.

But since the Suns traded Chris Paul and eventually brought in Bradley Beal to steal all of our money, things haven’t gone quite as planned.

To a certain extend, I understand why fans point to the lack of a traditional point guard as the problem. Paul was an incredible floor general, and his impact on the Phoenix offense was undeniable. I mean, look what he did for Deandre Ayton. Ayton hasn’t been the same since his time in Phoenix. CP3 averaged 10.8 assists per game during the 2021-22 regular season while Book averaged 26.8 ppg. Paul knew how to control the pace, get teammates involved an put players in positions to succeed.

But here is where I disagree with most fans. Chris Paul making Booker better doesn’t mean Book needs a traditional point guard to be successful.