8. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
This probably feels too high for the best player on the NBA’s worst team last year, but rest assured, Devin Booker is a bona fide superstar and he was worth every penny of that massive contract extension he got this summer. If the Phoenix Suns can just put some talent around him, he’ll get the chance to prove himself as one of the league’s up-and-coming dynamite scorers.
Last year, Booker posted career highs across the board, averaging 24.9 points, 4.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game and shooting 38.3 percent from 3-point range. His scoring at the tender age of 21 puts him the same company as some of the game’s elite Hall-of-Famers, and as he enters year four, he could get even better as a facilitator, three-phase scorer and 3-point marksman.
His defense is still an issue that holds him back in these rankings, as does his obvious lack of team success. Until the Suns start winning games, he’ll continue to be misjudged as a “good numbers, bad team” guy. However, if Phoenix can add, you know, any semblance of established talent around him moving forward, the rest of the league will realize that label was a mistake. The 2018-19 season should be the first step in getting everyone on the same page about Booker’s status.