Devin Booker remembers life on the bench with zero expectations. When the 2015-16 season began, he was still two days shy of 19 years old, the youngest player in the league.
Fast forward to now, and the 6-6 shooting guard represents a large portion of the Suns' optimism for the future. He turned in the best rookie season of any Phoenix player in 20 years, earning praise from his peers and observers along the way.
No one watched more closely than Tyson Chandler, Booker's veteran teammate and influence in Year One. The 7-1 big man knows full well what it's like to enter the league as a young man after being selected No. 2 overall in the 2001 NBA Draft straight out of high school.
In Booker, Chandler saw a boy become something more, far earlier than many expected. The relationship between them was captured in the Steve Nash executive-produced series Rookie/Vet, which published its fourth and final episode this week on ThePlayersTribune.com.
"I feel like I watched you go from being wide-eyed to being like, 'I can score in this league. It's kind of easy. I can get buckets,'" Chandler told Booker face-to-face. "All of the sudden, you were Devin Booker for the Phoenix Suns."
That leap isn't lost on Booker, who wasn't sure what his role would or should be at such a tender age. Injuries pressed him into heavy minutes less than halfway through the season, and he responded with skills and poise beyond his years.
"I got the opportunity that most rookies don't get," Booker said. "My friends are out there getting two or three minutes a game. I always think back to the beginning of the season when I wasn't even playing. Just knowing that I have the opportunity every time I step out on the floor makes me want to grind."
Performing at this level is new for Booker. It isn't for Chandler, who has played on winning teams on the NBA and international stages. Booker asked his elder teammate what drove him in a season of turmoil, rife with injuries and losses that stood in stark contrast to the expectations he had after signing as a free agent last summer.
"When I came to this team, I thought the organization had a bright future. I still feel that way," Chandler said. "Instead of getting caught up in the wins and the losses, I had to get caught up in the process. How do I take this team to a winning level? Because that's what I came here for."
Booker is here for the same reason, but how he will do so remains up in the air. The expectations are there, now, both from his fans and opponents who now know what he can do. He will not sneak up on the competition next season.
Chandler, who had to refine himself from a rough prospect into a feared defender, said the words and asked Booker the question that all potential stars must hear when they come to a career crossroads.
"You know what's in front of you," Chandler said. "You know what's at stake. You know what to prepare for.
"Do you want to be legendary? Or do you want to have your moments?"