"Without Kevin Durant, this team is a lottery team" - Insider fires no holds barred take on Devin Booker and Suns 

Devin Booker has failed to carry the Phoenix Suns when Kevin Durant is out with an injury. In 10 games "KD" sat on the bench, the Suns have a 1-9 record. Phoenix holds a 12-11 card heading into their game on Friday against the Utah Jazz.

NBA analyst Bobby Marks had this to say on "NBA Today" about how the Suns have been playing this season:

“Devin Booker is an All-NBA type of player, but Devin Booker this year is not playing like an All-NBA player. He is shooting 43% from the field, down from 49% last year," Marks said.

"Without Kevin Durant, this team is a lottery team. … They’re so reliant on 'KD' and if they have another Durant injury somewhere around the line, that is gonna be a huge, huge blow," he added.

Marks also pointed out how Booker’s numbers have dipped when the two-time champ is sidelined. The combo guard’s scoring goes up without Kevin Durant but his rebounding, assists, field-goal percentage and 3-point shooting accuracy drop.

Kendrick Perkins also tossed in his thoughts about the situation:

“I don’t know but it’s confusing to me," Perkins said. "If you look at those numbers, you would think right now that we would have Devin Booker in the same conversation with the likes of Anthony Edwards or Donovan Mitchell, but I don’t. I actually have a few guys ahead of him right now. I just don’t know where the drop-off is.”

Perkins added that a few years ago, they talked about Booker in the same breath as the late Kobe Bryant. The 2008 champ with the Boston Celtics continued that Booker hasn’t been playing that way and might not reach that level again.

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Kevin Durant returns from ankle injury to help Devin Booker against Utah Jazz

Kevin Durant returned from a three-game absence due to a sprained left ankle on Friday against the Utah Jazz. KD’s return should be a boost for the Phoenix Suns, who are in a three-game losing slump. With Devin Booker and Bradley Beal also available, the Suns are heavy favorites to snap out of their funk.

Booker and Durant have had an impressive first half for the Suns. With still two minutes left in the second quarter, the former had 20 points, while the latter added 19. Furthermore, Booker has been on fire from deep, making 4-of-6 shots.