Devin Booker is first Suns Player of the Month in over a decade

After twice earning the Western Conference Player of the Week award, Devin Booker nabbed his first-ever Player of the Month trophy for February after leading the Suns to a 12-3 record that put them on the map as a real force in the NBA playoff picture.

Booker won the award alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, who won on the East side.

In addition to the sterling team record, Booker in February scored 27.9 points per night on .523/.395/.852 shooting. He also grabbed nearly four rebounds and dished nearly five assists, contributing up and down the box score in addition to his improved defense. The Suns outscored opponents by two points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor over the course of the month.

Asked about the honor pregame on Tuesday, head coach Monty Williams said he wasn’t surprised, because Booker has done so much to contribute to the Suns’ winning ways and those awards typically go to winning players.

The last Phoenix Suns player to win a Player of the Month award was Amare Stoudemire in March 2010, when he went ‘Bully Ball’ on the league in the Suns last big playoff run. Amare averaged 27.3 points and 9.9 rebounds, helping the Suns to a 12-2 record (also the last time the Suns won 12 games in a month).

Williams got a tribute of his own, being nominated by the league as a candidate for Coach of the Month in the West. The honor went to Jazz coach Quin Snyder instead, and Dallas coach Rick Carlisle was also nominated.

As we get toward the end of the year and think about All-NBA voting or Coach of the Year contenders, these intermediate awards are important checkpoints. So far, Booker and Williams are both getting love from those around the league.