Phoenix Suns: 5 bold predictions for 2017-18 NBA season

5. Devin Booker averages 25 points per game

Typically, most NBA superstars make “the leap” in their third season in the league. We’ve seen it recently with guys like Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and young studs entering their third year like Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis are expected to follow similar paths in 2017-18.

Though no one should confuse Devin Booker’s ceiling with the two-way potential of those aforementioned superstars, anyone who’s been paying attention knows his scoring ability is off the charts. Heading into his third season in the league, it’s Booker’s time to take the reins of the offense.

To be clear, his progress on the defensive end is what will eventually determine whether he can become a legitimate superstar or if he’ll just be a dynamic scorer, but for the upcoming season, averaging 25 points per game doesn’t seem too unrealistic for the 20-year-old gunner.

Last year, despite starting the season with some paltry numbers as he played through a toe injury, Booker still wound up averaging 22.1 points per game. Though his .423/.363/.832 shooting splits left room for improvement, those numbers will continue to rise with more reps, and he’s certainly getting plenty of those after taking 18.3 shots per game last year.

Booker will get plenty of looks as he continues to grow as the face of the franchise, and his shot attempts will increase even more if the team decides to cash in on Eric Bledsoe‘s trade value.

In the formative years of #TheTimeline, you can expect a burgeoning scorer like Book to continue to hoist from all over the floor. Bearing all this in mind, 25 points per game feels like a pretty reasonable expectation in a potential breakout year.