Devin Booker is the greatest player EVER in Suns history

Cheesebeef

ASFN IDOL
Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2003
Posts
91,130
Reaction score
67,845
I do think Booker is maximizing the talent he does have. When he entered the league he couldn't dunk. Now he is way stronger than he was by far. He has developed into a more efficient scorer, rather than just a volume shooter. He does have his flaws, but I have to give him props, he does try and keep improving his game. Most guys plateau. This last couple of years they tried to make him point book. We missed out on dominant two guard Book during this time. We saw it briefly when Beal played PG some, and Book lit up teams. To get maximum Booker, someone else HAS to run the team.
I agree he’s maxing out his talent. The problem is his ceiling when maxed out isn’t good enough to build a team around. That’s not his fault. It’s just his reality.
 

95pro

ASFN Icon
Joined
May 10, 2007
Posts
12,565
Reaction score
4,091
The biggest area that Booker could improve is his 3 point shooting. If he could shoot above 40% on high volume that would be huge.

I think he was headed in that trajectory but increasing other areas of his game took him on another course.
 

AzStevenCal

ASFN IDOL
Supporting Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2004
Posts
36,711
Reaction score
16,410
I think he was headed in that trajectory but increasing other areas of his game took him on another course.
Absolutely. World, wake up and see the truth, Devin Booker is NOT a point guard. This has been an ongoing argument for years here, many were convinced he could and should play that position. But he lacks some of the physical skills and most of the intangibles that make the Chris Paul's so successful there. He can cover the position in short stretches but he's so much easier to defend as a 1 than a 2.
 

clyde2tw

All Star
Joined
Jan 27, 2023
Posts
634
Reaction score
634
Location
abroad
Under pressure, Book picks up his dribble way too early, and our team never seems to have worked on proper actions to punish double teams like Ant repeatedly showed in our series.
Shooting 3s: he should practise a lot making them with a hand over his face, the way Doncic shows us in warm-ups. All our big-3 plus Allen should do that. In PO games, defense is a lot tougher to allow much wide open shots one gets in regular season games.
More and better driving layups vs. mid-range jumpers: Book showed it in the last game, but too late and too little.
Defense: He should be mentally willing to work on and play defense, consistently not just opportunically and then by committing quick fouls.
 

Covert Rain

Father smelt of elderberries!
Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2005
Posts
36,153
Reaction score
15,100
Location
Arizona
xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media
This is such a weird Booker to watch. Obviously, his plus/minus is showing his impact on the court. However, I have never seen such a passive Book offensively. I watched that entire game against Germany and he was happy deferring to EVERYBODY on the court. Half the time he was just a decoy on the perimeter.
 

Chaplin

Better off silent
Joined
May 13, 2002
Posts
46,252
Reaction score
16,681
Location
Round Rock, TX
This is such a weird Booker to watch. Obviously, his plus/minus is showing his impact on the court. However, I have never seen such a passive Book offensively. I watched that entire game against Germany and he was happy deferring to EVERYBODY on the court. Half the time he was just a decoy on the perimeter.
And that's why he's so good. Everyone but him is trying to go one-on-one and ISO ball, and guess what? We almost lost to South Sudan and Germany. To me, and I know I'm a homer, but for me, Book is the MVP of Team USA so far.
 
OP
OP
BirdGangThing

BirdGangThing

Cultist
Joined
Dec 27, 2019
Posts
14,864
Reaction score
20,421
Location
Arcadia
And that's why he's so good. Everyone but him is trying to go one-on-one and ISO ball, and guess what? We almost lost to South Sudan and Germany. To me, and I know I'm a homer, but for me, Book is the MVP of Team USA so far.
book helped the team out this same way in the last olympics - defense and distribution - then he starts scoring
 

Mainstreet

Cruisin' Mainstreet
Supporting Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2003
Posts
116,527
Reaction score
56,594
Taking nothing away from Booker and his +50, but Germany had no answer for Lebron on defense.

Team USA needs to fix their interior defense so they can take something away from opponents.
 

Hoop Head

ASFN Icon
Joined
Feb 4, 2005
Posts
17,058
Reaction score
12,238
Location
Tempe, AZ
Taking nothing away from Booker and his +50, but Germany had no answer for Lebron on defense.

Team USA needs to fix their interior defense so they can take something away from opponents.

It's weird because they're playing bigger than the last world cup or FIBA event. Having Bam, Embiid, and AD makes a big difference. Bam and AD are great defenders also.

I think this where not being a real team hurts. Last world games it hurt them inside and out but they've patched up their perimeter defense issues, at least.
 

Mainstreet

Cruisin' Mainstreet
Supporting Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2003
Posts
116,527
Reaction score
56,594
It's weird because they're playing bigger than the last world cup or FIBA event. Having Bam, Embiid, and AD makes a big difference. Bam and AD are great defenders also.

I think this where not being a real team hurts. Last world games it hurt them inside and out but they've patched up their perimeter defense issues, at least.

With Team USA guards, opponents should not be so easily able to get in the lane. USA has good interior big men, but no one is stopping them before they get inside. I think you are right, it goes back to not enough time to play together as a team.

The thought occurred to me, maybe Kerr is holding something back for the Olympics.
 

Hoop Head

ASFN Icon
Joined
Feb 4, 2005
Posts
17,058
Reaction score
12,238
Location
Tempe, AZ
This coming season Book will become the Suns all time leading scorer. It's inevitable. His 10th year in the league and he's 1,138 points behind Walter Davis. He's only scored fewer than 1,138 points in a season in his rookie season when he wasnt a full time starter. He still averaged 13.8 ppg and had 1,048 points that year. I wonder if that will finally help him surpass Nash in some Suns fans eyes.
 

Cheesebeef

ASFN IDOL
Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2003
Posts
91,130
Reaction score
67,845
This coming season Book will become the Suns all time leading scorer. It's inevitable. His 10th year in the league and he's 1,138 points behind Walter Davis. He's only scored fewer than 1,138 points in a season in his rookie season when he wasnt a full time starter. He still averaged 13.8 ppg and had 1,048 points that year. I wonder if that will finally help him surpass Nash in some Suns fans eyes.
If he’s gonna keep losing in the playoffs, it’s gotta start being at least in the second round or Conference Finals, and putting up a hell of a fight while doing it. The last three postseason appearances have all ended disastrously.

The Nash teams might not have ever won a title or even a conference championship, but those teams were a personification of Nash the player, giving everything they had, while sadly coming up short. They also had one magical run without Amare where that team so ridiculously outplayed expectations. And Nash brought them to the WCF three times as the head of the snake.

Outside of one pretty fluky Finals run where CP3 was the team’s leader, Booker led or co-lead squads have only made the playoffs 3 times in during his 10 (?) years here and have ended all 3 of those seasons in absolutely embarrassing fashion, once in the first round and twice in the second round, one those losses coming while heavily favored and up 2-0 in the series.

Playoffs are where guys make their mark for franchises. Booker hasn’t reached Nash’s status there to this point.
 
Last edited:
Top