Last night’s 133-115 win over the red-hot Minnesota Timberwolves by the Phoenix Suns coincided with the return of the team’s MVP- coincidence?

Most likely not.

Devin Booker has come a long way since he was drafted 13th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft as a sixth man at Kentucky.

Outsiders’ expectations of the superstar have likely been exceeded: scoring back-to-back 40-point games in an NBA Finals, receiving two max-level contracts, gracing the cover of the NBA 2K series, being name-dropped in Drake songs, and even getting his own signature shoe line from Nike.

His leadership in Phoenix since day one may be his most spectacular accomplishment. After passing on LaMarcus Aldridge, the Suns appeared to be on the verge of a rebuild.

Booker was in a difficult situation from the start: he was on a bad team, in the rotation behind Eric Bledsoe/Brandon Knight, playing close to dissatisfied players like Markieff Morris, and receiving game checks from controversial owner Robert Sarver.

Despite this, several players recognized him as unique from the start. Former Suns center Tyson Chandler was among them.

Chandler recounted the first time he saw Booker practice with the team in an interview with the “All the Smoke” podcast over the summer, and he was so impressed that he told then-Suns general manager Ryan McDonough that Booker was already the best player on the team- as a rookie.

Many other players were quick to notice. Among other things, players like Jimmy Butler, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and now-teammate Kevin Durant lauded Booker for his boldness and already honed skill set.

One major issue Booker faced was not only developing into, but also embracing, his leadership role.

Check.

It’s difficult to become a team’s franchise player at any age, but the Suns were unquestionably Booker’s for good after the then-20-year-old scored 70 points in a single game on March 23, 2017, in Boston of all places.

When Eric Bledsoe demanded to leave Phoenix, Booker became the de-facto franchise player and leader – a less-than-ideal circumstance.

Earl Watson was sacked by the Suns in response to the infamous Bledsoe tweet, and he was in his third season as an NBA head coach.

McDonough proceeded to make atrocious draft decisions like clockwork, failing to provide Booker with consistency practically anywhere on the squad, but especially at point guard.

On top of that, Booker had to work every day to bring in immature teammates like Josh Jackson and Marquese Chriss while also attempting to improve the generally mismatched roster of complementary components.

Almost anyone in Booker’s situation would have folded and requested to play in New York or with their best friend (in Booker’s case, Karl-Anthony Towns in Minnesota).

Booker, however, did not.

He became increasingly active in personnel decisions as he took a personal, genuine interest in driving the Suns’ rebirth. The Suns hired Monty Williams as head coach, finally secured a reliable point guard in Ricky Rubio, and made many bold moves to fill the roster with NBA-ready players.

Stars were drawn to Booker’s ability to elevate and lead the team in the 2019-20 NBA season. He is the driving force behind Chris Paul and Kevin Durant’s desire to visit the Valley.

After Paul’s departure, that leadership has reached new heights.

While Kevin Durant is a leader in his own right and has done an admirable job of keeping the Suns afloat, there is an intangible sense of leadership that number one brings both on and off the court.

That was evident once again in the Suns’ nearly 20-point victory Wednesday night.

Phoenix coach Frank Vogel responded thoughtfully to a post-game presser question:

“I simply believe his leadership on this team is extremely valuable.” “When he’s not in uniform, he’s leading; in film sessions, in practices, he’s our most vocal guy, and he’s really taking the reins of that this year with this team and even moreso on the floor as the point guard, running the show,” Vogel said of Booker.

“We ask our point guards or primarily ball handlers to get us into the action and I will put us in action if I want to see it, but I want them knowing their key, and he really takes control of that and obviously the shot-making, the attention he draws to the ball, his ability to pass the ball is really exceptional – an underrated part of his game – and he was great tonight.”

Booker is officially one of the few guys for whom players are lined up, coaches are going out of their way to coach, and so on.

Booker, now the primary ball-handler in Phoenix’s attack, has formally taken over as commander after Paul left for other opportunities.

“Yeah, he did a lot of that last year, or last three years.” “On this team, we have multiple leaders who lead in different ways,” Booker remarked last night.

“I believe the term leadership is used whether you are successful or not. There are numerous approaches. I’ve led several teams with many players, and you just have to figure out what works best for the people you’re trying to lead. From the coaching staff to all of the players, our squad has a lot of expertise, and everything is collaborative. We can chat over problems as if we’ve been there before. It feels like we’ve been working together for a long time.”

Suns fans should value and celebrate Booker’s improvement in every aspect of his NBA career, but his will to persevere in the face of adversity and construct a long-term competitor may be the most exceptional display of leadership the Valley has ever seen.