Phoenix Suns: 3 reasons Devin Booker’s extension was a no-brainer

3. Young enough to improve weaknesses

At 21 years old, most NBA players are a blank canvass. For one who’s been in the league for three years and is already being compared to some of the league’s all-time greats, his resume is currently being splattered across the page.

Because he’s still so young and his supporting cast has been so terrible, Devin Booker is a living Mirror of Erised: You see what you want to see most. If it’s a franchise star, the rallying cry is Look at what he’s doing at such a young age! If it’s a “good stats, bad team” guy, the conversation becomes Of course he’s producing, who else on that roster is going to score? and his role Phoenix’s lack of success comes into focus.

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As someone who’s covered the Suns up close for the last three years, it seems absurd to make that argument, but Booker is certainly not without flaws. He’s a notoriously poor defender in the same vein as James Harden, only without the MVP-caliber scoring ability, court vision, passing, rebounding or penchant for getting to the free throw line (yet, at least).

Phoenix’s defense has been 2-3 points per 100 possessions better with him on the bench for each of his three NBA seasons, which matters for last year’s 30th-ranked defense. The Suns have failed to crack 25 wins once during his time in the league, and as much as he emerged as a playmaker and ball-handler last year, he was also fairly turnover-prone.

Of 13 players last season with a usage percentage of at least 30 percent, Booker’s 29.6 turnover percentage ranked as the eighth-highest. Of the seven players with a worse turnover percentage, only one — the flawed D’Angelo Russell — was not off the hook by virtue of being an All-Star on a winning team.

However, to pin Phoenix’s team flaws on their lone bright spot, or to suggest that his glaring weaknesses will always remain obstacles to becoming a true franchise star, would be asinine — and not just because he’s “only 21.”

For starters, this isn’t a new conversation. Apprehension about Booker’s lack of rebounding, efficient shooting, passing ability and all-around defense tempered expectations heading into his individual breakout year in 2017-18 too.

In his third season, Booker posted a career-high 4.7 assists, a career-high 4.5 rebounds and a career-high 6.1 free throw attempts per game. He also shot a career-high 38.3 percent from 3-point range, posting a career-high 56.1 true shooting percentage. Aside from the defensive end, he improved his game in every area of concern, despite a complete lack of talent around him.

Doing all of this is impressive, but even more so in the context of his head coach being fired three games in; his best teammate (Eric Bledsoe) being traded at the same time; and his best offensive weapons being an injured T.J. Warren who can’t shoot outside of 15 feet and a 20-year-old rookie in Josh Jackson who had one of the worst starts to a rookie season in NBA history for a top-five pick.

So yeah, it’s hard to fault Suns fans for overlooking the defensive end and being high on their lone saving grace who was shouldering pretty much all of the team’s offensive burden.

Devin Booker is not the next James Harden, but he’s far more than the spot-up shooter he was pegged to be entering the league. He’s also far more than a modern-day Monta Ellis who “scores and does nothing else,” or a Mitch Richmond clone toiling away without elevating his teams — both of which he’s been pegged to be over the last two years.

Defense is still a major issue, and his commitment on that end will ultimately determine his status among NBA circles and decide whether he’s qualified to be the “best player on a championship contender.”

With that being said, he’s 21 freaking years old and far too talented offensively to not become at least passable on that end. Booker is well known for internalizing his critics’ biggest complaints and incorporating them into his game, and this most notable gripe should be no different.

Even if Devin Booker somehow never figures it out on that end of the floor, his still-developing, otherworldly scoring talent should outweigh those flaws as long as the Suns build around him correctly.

If he can have even close to the kind offensive impact of other superstars who are notoriously poor defenders like Harden, Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns or Russell Westbrook, it’ll at least balance out, making him more than worth the contract as a max player.