Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
During his stint in the NBA bubble, Devin Booker put the NBA on notice while leading the Suns to an 8-0 record during their pursuit to earn a playoff spot. Even though they fell short of that goal, they realized that they had something special down in “The Valley.”
Making the playoffs for the first time in his career, Booker led the Suns to a Finals appearance while taking the NBA by storm with several epic performances. Booker not only scores points in bunches but also plays good defense which he never gets much credit or recognition for and is also an underrated passer. He passes the ball with accuracy and has a nice touch with finesse and coordination.
Booker put up an insane stat line during their 1st round matchup against the LA Lakers when he scored 47 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and made eight 3-pointers but he wasn’t done dominating just yet. In the Western Conference Finals against the LA Clippers. Booker put up 40 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists as nobody had an answer for him or could come close to guarding him. Booker can score at all three levels and his midrange game is a thing of beauty.
The fadeaways and pull-ups he shoots seem to be automatic once they leave his shooting hand and the fact that he can take over a game is astounding. It’s amazing how Booker took the Suns from several losing seasons to a Finals appearance so quickly as he has established himself as one of the best young talents in the league.
The Suns have a young core and Chris Paul has also agreed to stick around for a few more years as his presence has shown to have a positive effect on Booker. Now, with so many teams loaded in the West, it will be a tough task for the Suns to make it back to the Finals and the Suns front office must figure out who they need to surround Booker with in order for the team to remain competitive.
Booker has the ability to take the Suns over the top and now would be the perfect time to go all-in and solidify group of players around him. Kobe Bryant saw the greatness in Booker and now it’s on full display for everyone to see. Hopefully the Suns do the right thing in order for Booker and the team to continue having success.