by Ben
Having burst onto the scene last year as a rookie after Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight went down with injuries, Devin Booker has impressed with his smooth shot and aggressive mouth...
"Nobody can guard you Book"
Despite showing early promise this year, he has been somewhat inconsistent in his play of late. So, it's time to ask the question: is young Devin underrated, overrated or properly-rated?
I asked three sources who chose to remain anonymous to give their opinion on the budding star, and provide my own thoughts following what they have to say.
"Nobody can guard you Book"
Despite showing early promise this year, he has been somewhat inconsistent in his play of late. So, it's time to ask the question: is young Devin underrated, overrated or properly-rated?
I asked three sources who chose to remain anonymous to give their opinion on the budding star, and provide my own thoughts following what they have to say.
The case for underrated
Source 1
"Devin Booker had an incredible start to this (2016/17) season shooting wise, and started to get some hype and some national television coverage along the way. Across sites like the Ringer and /r/nba, Booker was trending much the same way as his jump shot. Now, it feels he has lifted the expectation on himself. He may never again be that diamond in the rough, a few years away from being a good player. Now, he is in that mould of 'he's okay, but can he produce on a good team? Can he be a leader? Can he be an all-star? Can he be the alpha?' But, I do think that he has lifted the bar on how we perceive him."
Initially overlooked in the 2015 draft, Devin was selected by Phoenix at 13 after 1 year at Kentucky and consequently, he has had a chip on his shoulder ever since. Over the past two years, many commentators and current players have argued that he can get a shot off on anyone, and is fearless against opponents (famously saying "nobody can guard you Book") while playing a position that is currently underskilled across the league. In my opinion, watching his game, his promise and ability is undeniable, and while it is not as impressive as it seems to replace Brandon Knight (1) in a starting lineup, to unseat a starter as a rookie is nonetheless a notable achievement.
Devin was mentored as a rookie by Tyson Chandler and this has translated to an undeniable confidence and desire to play hard every night. He is a solid screener, and moves well off the ball to get open. Earlier this season he showed some of the progress that bloggers and pundits had projected, having back to back games of 38 and 39 points and establishing his status as a go-to scorer in this league. Last night, he came to life in the fourth quarter to take his team to victory over a Raptors team (albeit a 'struggling west road trip' Raptors team).
He is still so young, being just 20 years old and lets face it, like another highly touted young prospect Karl-Anthony Towns, has much to achieve. Being stuck on a bad team (as I publish this article their record is currently 10-23, last in their division, tied for last in the west and tied 3rd worst in the NBA), he has time to grow and develop a body of work to support the expectations placed on him by the Suns organisation and NBA media. Ideally, the next step for him is not only to elevate his individual play, particularly on the defensive end, but to translate this to team success.
The Suns have a young core, and to be honest, probably have some moves to make. They aren't going to make the playoffs this year, nor will they be knocking on those doors anytime soon, but with pieces and promise (I like Marquese Chriss), this team may be on a good timeframe for playoff contention post Warriors and Cavs.
Lastly, some personal thoughts:
Devin has a really deep voice - this trips me every time I watch an interview. I don't know why this matters, but it seems interesting to me.
While Matt is not overlooking him, he has concerns - this usually happens when I get hyped up on a player, and based on the evidence thus far, is a good sign.
- For example: Kyrie Irving.
- Not for example: My highly devalued waterfront reserve on Waiters island.
Source 1
"Devin Booker had an incredible start to this (2016/17) season shooting wise, and started to get some hype and some national television coverage along the way. Across sites like the Ringer and /r/nba, Booker was trending much the same way as his jump shot. Now, it feels he has lifted the expectation on himself. He may never again be that diamond in the rough, a few years away from being a good player. Now, he is in that mould of 'he's okay, but can he produce on a good team? Can he be a leader? Can he be an all-star? Can he be the alpha?' But, I do think that he has lifted the bar on how we perceive him."
Initially overlooked in the 2015 draft, Devin was selected by Phoenix at 13 after 1 year at Kentucky and consequently, he has had a chip on his shoulder ever since. Over the past two years, many commentators and current players have argued that he can get a shot off on anyone, and is fearless against opponents (famously saying "nobody can guard you Book") while playing a position that is currently underskilled across the league. In my opinion, watching his game, his promise and ability is undeniable, and while it is not as impressive as it seems to replace Brandon Knight (1) in a starting lineup, to unseat a starter as a rookie is nonetheless a notable achievement.
Devin was mentored as a rookie by Tyson Chandler and this has translated to an undeniable confidence and desire to play hard every night. He is a solid screener, and moves well off the ball to get open. Earlier this season he showed some of the progress that bloggers and pundits had projected, having back to back games of 38 and 39 points and establishing his status as a go-to scorer in this league. Last night, he came to life in the fourth quarter to take his team to victory over a Raptors team (albeit a 'struggling west road trip' Raptors team).
He is still so young, being just 20 years old and lets face it, like another highly touted young prospect Karl-Anthony Towns, has much to achieve. Being stuck on a bad team (as I publish this article their record is currently 10-23, last in their division, tied for last in the west and tied 3rd worst in the NBA), he has time to grow and develop a body of work to support the expectations placed on him by the Suns organisation and NBA media. Ideally, the next step for him is not only to elevate his individual play, particularly on the defensive end, but to translate this to team success.
The Suns have a young core, and to be honest, probably have some moves to make. They aren't going to make the playoffs this year, nor will they be knocking on those doors anytime soon, but with pieces and promise (I like Marquese Chriss), this team may be on a good timeframe for playoff contention post Warriors and Cavs.
Lastly, some personal thoughts:
Devin has a really deep voice - this trips me every time I watch an interview. I don't know why this matters, but it seems interesting to me.
While Matt is not overlooking him, he has concerns - this usually happens when I get hyped up on a player, and based on the evidence thus far, is a good sign.
- For example: Kyrie Irving.
- Not for example: My highly devalued waterfront reserve on Waiters island.
The case for overrated
Source 2
"Devin Booker can shoot like a motherfucker. Offensively, he is going to be beast. I'm just saying I want to see a little more from my 19/20 year olds before I label them the next big thing. Also, a toaster could have replaced Brandon Knight in that rotation".
As I mentioned above, the biggest knocks on his star status in my opinion are:
- Devin can be frustratingly inconsistent (especially now teams have had more time to study his game and tendencies), and
- His team has yet to translate Devin's promising individual play to team success. When I have watched the Suns this season (not as fun as I thought watching a young team might be - see Wolves, Minnesota), often they achieve the most success when Devin is on the bench, or is not the primary scoring or playmaking option, rather, having Eric Bledsoe, PJ, TJ and Tyson Chandler as the primary focus on the floor.
While early and with a somewhat limited sample size, so far he has shown a tendency to shoot off the dribble (like Steph) but not convert at a high rate (not like Steph). He has a lot to learn, particularly on defence, but his footwork and high basketball IQ for someone so young show a high-ceiling.
Perhaps, most damningly, his Emerald card in NBA 2K17 is not as OP as I wanted.
Source 2
"Devin Booker can shoot like a motherfucker. Offensively, he is going to be beast. I'm just saying I want to see a little more from my 19/20 year olds before I label them the next big thing. Also, a toaster could have replaced Brandon Knight in that rotation".
As I mentioned above, the biggest knocks on his star status in my opinion are:
- Devin can be frustratingly inconsistent (especially now teams have had more time to study his game and tendencies), and
- His team has yet to translate Devin's promising individual play to team success. When I have watched the Suns this season (not as fun as I thought watching a young team might be - see Wolves, Minnesota), often they achieve the most success when Devin is on the bench, or is not the primary scoring or playmaking option, rather, having Eric Bledsoe, PJ, TJ and Tyson Chandler as the primary focus on the floor.
While early and with a somewhat limited sample size, so far he has shown a tendency to shoot off the dribble (like Steph) but not convert at a high rate (not like Steph). He has a lot to learn, particularly on defence, but his footwork and high basketball IQ for someone so young show a high-ceiling.
Perhaps, most damningly, his Emerald card in NBA 2K17 is not as OP as I wanted.
The case for properly-rated
Source 3
"Not a bad player. Good shot technique. Looks very plain, and like he goes for layups all the time. Safe player, and in my opinion is a rising star in this league"
Since spending one year at Kentucky, Devin has been gathering accolades and growing recognition around the league. Let's look at the body of work we can use to gauge his value right now.
- All-Rookie Team - that team is going to be a sweet team, I saw someone suggest that Devin, KAT, Kristaps should combine Miami Heatles style post their extensions.
- Looked way too good for summer league.
- Emerald moments card in 2k following back-to-back games of 38 and 39 points.
- One of the youngest players to average 20 points per game (per 100 possessions).
- Consistent mentions and praise from sites like the Ringer, the Starters and almost every basketball podcast I listen to.
All this raises the question - What kind of star will he be in this league? Dwyane Wade? Or Gordon Hayward?
Like Kyrie Irving, he also made USAB Basketball over the summer. Also like Kyrie, he has a tendency to trash talk opponents. He as backed up this talk with his game and is endorsed by established stars in this league like LeBron and Dwyane Wade (quote "I like this kid").
Devin is currently averaging 18.8 PPG up on his career average of 15.3, and, though not significant, his boards and assists are also up this year on his career averages.
While at times this year he has disappeared, or struggled at converting his smooth shot into consistent scoring efficiency, we have to remember that he is a Sophomore. Ultimately, I expect sophomores not-named LeBron James to be sporadic at times, so his inconsistent play is just fine, and I expect it to improve as the season progresses.
(1) Phoenix traded PG Tyler Ennis (whereabouts currently unknown - kidding, he is in Houston) for Brandon Knight and Kendall Marshall (waived) in Feb of 2015, puzzling NBA fans by trading for yet another guard despite having Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas. With Brandon Knight playing average this year, and losing his starting position, its hard to know who won this trade it gets more and more puzzling as the year goes on.
Source 3
"Not a bad player. Good shot technique. Looks very plain, and like he goes for layups all the time. Safe player, and in my opinion is a rising star in this league"
Since spending one year at Kentucky, Devin has been gathering accolades and growing recognition around the league. Let's look at the body of work we can use to gauge his value right now.
- All-Rookie Team - that team is going to be a sweet team, I saw someone suggest that Devin, KAT, Kristaps should combine Miami Heatles style post their extensions.
- Looked way too good for summer league.
- Emerald moments card in 2k following back-to-back games of 38 and 39 points.
- One of the youngest players to average 20 points per game (per 100 possessions).
- Consistent mentions and praise from sites like the Ringer, the Starters and almost every basketball podcast I listen to.
All this raises the question - What kind of star will he be in this league? Dwyane Wade? Or Gordon Hayward?
Like Kyrie Irving, he also made USAB Basketball over the summer. Also like Kyrie, he has a tendency to trash talk opponents. He as backed up this talk with his game and is endorsed by established stars in this league like LeBron and Dwyane Wade (quote "I like this kid").
Devin is currently averaging 18.8 PPG up on his career average of 15.3, and, though not significant, his boards and assists are also up this year on his career averages.
While at times this year he has disappeared, or struggled at converting his smooth shot into consistent scoring efficiency, we have to remember that he is a Sophomore. Ultimately, I expect sophomores not-named LeBron James to be sporadic at times, so his inconsistent play is just fine, and I expect it to improve as the season progresses.
(1) Phoenix traded PG Tyler Ennis (whereabouts currently unknown - kidding, he is in Houston) for Brandon Knight and Kendall Marshall (waived) in Feb of 2015, puzzling NBA fans by trading for yet another guard despite having Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas. With Brandon Knight playing average this year, and losing his starting position, its hard to know who won this trade it gets more and more puzzling as the year goes on.
Devin Booker - underrated, overrated or properly-rated?
Reviewed by Ben Ellem
on
23:29
Rating:
Reviewed by Ben Ellem
on
23:29
Rating:
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