Phoenix Suns: 5 goals for Devin Booker in 2017-18
1. Improve defensively
Not every NBA superstar is a two-way player, but with the exception of James Harden and Russell Westbrook, almost all of the best ones are. To be honest, those two are anomalies because even with Harden’s lackluster defense, he’s a visionary floor general, top scorer in the league, efficient 3-point shooter, league leader in fouls drawn and terrific rebounder for his position. Russ, meanwhile, is an absolute force of athleticism, scoring and rebounding as a walking triple-double.
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Booker is none of those things, and if the point of his blank NBA canvass is to paint a future superstar, both halves will need to be painted. He seems destined to become a top scorer in this league, but if he wants to raise his ceiling to that of a future superstar, MVP or NBA champion, he has to grow leaps and bounds on the defensive end.
It’s a hard objective to measure, since individual defensive rating and defensive field goal percentage can only tell you so much. But with all the attention being paid to Booker’s lack of attention on the defensive end, it’ll be evident when he starts making strides on that end of the floor.
From being more aware with the help defense to not getting burned on backdoor cuts to putting his length to good use on the ball, Booker has a long way to go. The scoring is already looking like a natural element of his game, with secondary playmaking soon to follow.
But only the most elite offensive talents in this league can get away with playing one end of the floor, and Booker does not project to have that same Harden-esque skill-set or Westbrook-ian dominance at this point in time. He doesn’t have the elite athleticism or length to be a lockdown defender, but he merely has to be passable on that end. Reaching that goal starts in 2017-18.
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Because of his still-developing game, 6’6″ frame and expanding knowledge of what it takes to be successful on the offensive end, Booker has the tools to be a capable defender; it’s up to him whether he puts in the work to get there. To that end, he should aspire to follow in the footsteps of two-way stars like Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, LeBron James or even Klay Thompson, rather than James Harden or Russell Westbrook.