Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker addresses media before China Games
Devin Booker held a news conference in Macao, China, leading up to the Phoenix Suns’ preseason matchups against the Brooklyn Nets.
Provided by the Phoenix Suns
Devin Booker compares the way the new-look Phoenix Suns want to defend this season to what he saw playing in the summers as a youth.
“I think it fits right into our roster,” Booker said last week. “Being young, youthful and athletic. I think if you watch the finals, you watch Indiana and OKC, pick each other up full court. Cleveland was doing it all last year, too. I feel like the game has changed in a way where it’s kind of like that team you didn’t want to play in AAU growing up. It’s a crowded gym, they’re picking you up 94 feet. It’s a little bit of grab-and-hold there, but just playing to that extent.”
The Suns limited the Los Angeles Lakers to 31.1% shooting in the 103-81 win on Oct. 3 to open preseason play. The Lakers were without LeBron James and Luka Doncic, but they shot just 6-of-35 from 3 and committed 22 turnovers that led to 27 Phoenix points.
Phoenix looked to build off that in its two preseason games against the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 10 and Oct. 12 in Macao.
“It’s disruptive when teams are trying to run sets,” said Booker after the Lakers’ game. “I’ve been on the other side of it when guys are pressuring you. We have a lot of guys that are capable of getting up into the ball so we’re going to use that to our advantage.”
“I liked the way we played. Alot of carryover from training camp. It’s nice to see it versus another team.”
Devin Booker after Suns 103-81 win over Lakers.
On talk with Ryan Dunn after backcourt foul: “I told him to just be a little smarter with it. There are times when they’re… pic.twitter.com/Sjf7NMIGvN
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) October 4, 2025
The Nets won their first preseason game, 123-88, over Hapoel Jerusalem last week. They connected on 17-of-38 shots from 3 in shooting 56.3% from the field. Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr. lead Brooklyn’s offense attack.
Jalen Green and Mark Williams didn’t play in the preseason opener for Phoenix. Green has been working his way back from a left hamstring strain, while the Suns have Williams on an intentional plan in preparing him for the 2025-26 regular season.
If either is going to play in the preseason, the China trip appears to be the window to do so because their final preseason game is Oct. 14, the day after they head back from Macao on a 7,500-mile flight, against the Lakers at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Phoenix opens the regular season Oct. 22 at home versus the Sacramento Kings.
The Suns have vowed under first-year coach Jordan Ott to play a more aggressive defense from last season. They ranked 27th in defensive rating last season in Mike Budenholzer’s first and only season as their head coach.
“I feel like a lot translated. A lot of our offensive sets we did perfectly, might have missed one.”
Dillon Brooks after Suns 103-81 win over the Lakers.
On defense: “Ball pressure was good. We just have to do it with some intelligence.” #Suns pic.twitter.com/KPRMZLkaCD
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) October 4, 2025
“We wanted to establish an identity, if you will, and it’s something that’s a very real thing,” Suns forward Nigel Hayes-Davis said last week.
“This game is refereed by humans. Extremely talented at their job. They’re always under critique, but they’re the best in the world at officiating and refereeing these games, but at the end of the day, they humans. When you have teams that have an identity, the human instinct goes, ‘I know this team plays aggressive. I’m going to let them play aggressive.’”
The Suns have not only gotten after each other in scrimmages, but by having referees officiate them, they are learning how far they can push before hearing the whistle.
“You can’t call 90 fouls,” Hayes-Davis continued. “We want to play, as coaches have talked about, we want to play to the limit and once we have the officials in here, we’re able go and go and go and, ‘ah, too much.’ OK. Cool.”
Hayes-Davis then motioned his hand forward to indicate the Suns testing to see what “the limit” is before getting called for a foul.
“So now we have this gauge where we know how far we can go,” he continued, “Then throughout the season, these gentlemen are going to see us again and go, ‘We know exactly what to expect from them and we know how far they’re going to go.’ Once you have that identity, you’re a team that’s going to play this way, the officials have to adjust and then the opponent has to adjust to you instead of us adjusting.”
Phoenix applied ball pressure early against the Lakers as they look to have their big men play up against the pick-and-roll.
“I think our initial pick-up point was higher,” Ott said after last week’s win over the Lakers. “I think our bigs were up. I think at times. I know (Lakers guard Austin Reaves) got a shot off right in front of me at one point. We want those guys up. Then again, the higher we are, the more we got to be better on the weakside.”
At times, the Suns applied ball pressure beyond the limit.
They were called for 31 fouls against the Lakers as Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro each committed five fouls. Dillon Brooks and Jared Butler were called for four each.
Brooks said the Suns play with “some intelligence,” when it comes to ball pressure, but added he’d rather rack up fouls than “have guys driving and getting whatever they want.”
ave opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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