Is the locker room truly calm? 1:12 pm: John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 pushes back against Haynes’ reporting, tweeting that there’s no “dissension” within the Suns’ locker room.
10:58 am: After a 1-2 start, the Suns face criticism for not fielding a conventional point guard to steer the offense, Chris Haynes said on NBA TV’s The Association (Twitter video link).
“There is some growing frustration in that locker room (because) that roster does not have a point guard that can organize that offense,” Haynes added. “They’re starting Devin Booker, Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, so you have a situation where you don’t have a true, traditional point guard that can get everybody looks and get everything organized.”
Booker has essentially acted as the team’s de facto point guard since the 2025/26 campaign. He led Phoenix with 6.0 assists per game last season and is averaging a team‑high 5.3 APG through the first three games this fall.
Those added play‑making duties may be denting Booker’s scoring efficiency. His 58.5% true‑shooting percentage last season was the lowest in four years, and he followed a three‑point surge against an injury‑hit Oklahoma City squad on Monday (though he dropped 43 points on Golden State on Saturday).
Among the rotation, Collin Gillespie comes closest to a traditional point guard. He ranks second on the team in assists this season (4.3 APG) after posting 4.6 APG in 2025/26. In my view, the Suns need a genuine floor general, yet Gillespie isn’t in the regular starting five when Booker and Green are healthy.
Last season, lineups featuring both Booker and Gillespie posted a +7.0 net rating, while combos with Booker and Green produced a solid +4.1 mark.
Haynes notes the Suns sit in the lower half of the league in assists, though their 25.3 per game average lands them at 19th, not dramatically low. The club fares slightly better in assist rate and assist‑to‑turnover ratio.
The Suns still have an open roster spot, but there’s no sign the front office will act now, Haynes says, hoping a committee approach at point guard can weather early‑season frustrations. Can Phoenix patch the point‑guard hole before the midseason stretch?
1:12 pm: John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 pushes back at Haynes, saying there’s no locker‑room dissension.