Is Devin Booker A Foundational Piece For The Phoenix Suns?
More Than Just A Shooter
Booker may be pegged for his perimeter shooting (and his Hotline Bling celebration), but there’s so much more to him than that. Anytime the subject of Booker comes up, Hornacek has made it his life mission to let the world know that this 19-year-old is more than a one-dimensional spot-up shooter.
"“He’s a very good shooter, and the good thing is he’s not taking bad ones,” Hornacek said before a game against the Timberwolves. “Some guys who are good shooters, they’ll just take them because they think they can make anything, and that’s when their percentages drop. “Devin’s doing the right thing. If his shot’s there he’s taking it, if not, then he’s driving it. He’s not forcing anything. And again, for a 19-year-old, you expect there might be a few bad ones out there, but so far he’s played exactly how he should and that’s probably why when he’s open, we all think he’s gonna make it.”"
Watch Booker play and there’s almost an urge to wish for him to be more aggressive in looking for his shot. That’s a testament both to his shooting ability AND his willingness to move the ball and take what the defense gives him.
For all his reputation as a spot-up shooting threat, Booker is slowly but surely becoming an expert at blowing by defenders rushing to close out on him. As his shot chart indicates, he’s finishing at the rim at a solid rate for a rookie, converting 58.8 percent of his shots at the rim. According to NBA.com, he’s averaging 1.7 points per drive — the sixth highest mark among rookies.
“He’s poised and he doesn’t play at a panicked speed out there,” Hornacek said. “If he’s got the shot he takes it, if he’s got a drive he’ll drive it, if he’s got a pass he makes a pass.”
Booker only has 34 assists on the season, but he makes smart passes that keep the offense humming — no small feat for an offense that often sputtered and died with Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight taking turns attacking one-on-one. When Booker gets past defenders and is cut off by the help defense, he usually makes the right play to keep the defense in recovery mode.
In Phoenix’s recent win over the Charlotte Hornets that snapped a nine-game losing streak, Booker responded to being relegated back to bench duty, finishing with 17 points and a team-high 10 rebounds for the first double-double of his young career.
“I’m just trying to do what I have to do to make the team win,” Booker said of his big night, as the entire city of Phoenix swooned. “We went with the small lineup when we put P.J. [Tucker] at the 4, so I knew I’d have to be more active on the glass and that’s what I did.”
At 6’6″, Booker’s got the size to possibly log time at the 3 as he bulks up down the road. Since he’s only 19, he’s not done growing yet. We’ve already seen Booker log time at the 3 in small-ball lineups, and all signs indicate that he’s not having problems adjusting to the speed of the game or hitting that dreaded “rookie wall.” Not yet, at least.
From his high basketball IQ in making the right pass to his driving ability, Booker has the potential to be much more than a stand-in-the-corner shooter.
Next: Defense