Going into his third NBA season, Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker is no stranger to hype, nor to criticism.
This season, coach Earl Watson has a fairly long to-do list for the Kentucky product. Surprisingly, the first thing he mentioned was not defense, most often the thing cited as Booker’s biggest weakness.
“The next step for Devin is rebounding,” Watson said at the team’s media day. “Rebounding, solid defense, being accountable on both areas of the court.”
Booker averaged 3.2 boards per game last season and a five percent rebounding rate. While certainly not great numbers, rebounding is not something typically expected out of the shooting guard position. Booker is 6-foot-6, but plays away from the basketball so frequently, one might not be at all surprised by his low rebounding totals.
However, Watson made clear that his team with play within the system and be accountable to all aspects of their game. For Booker, that includes the not-so-glamorous aspects, one being crashing the glass.
“This season is about structure,” Watson said. “Playing a certain way within what we do, kind of bringing it back. A very disciplined style of basketball with three-point shooting and a fast pace.”
Rebounding and defense are certainly useful all over the floor to achieve a fast pace. Securing rebounds sets up opportunities to run fastbreaks and initiate early offense. The Suns have made that a core part of their identity in recent years, averaging seventh and sixth in team rebounds per game over the last two seasons. They were also second in pace last season and want to be even faster.
Watson seems confident that Booker will make the strides both as a player and a teammate that the team needs to see, saying Booker has always “met every demand we asked for.”
Booker has certainly garnered attention in the league, earning praise from players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and most recently Kevin Durant. Appearing on the Bill Simmons Podcast, Durant praised Booker’s trash-talking as well as his abilities on the floor.
“It’s unbelievable,” Booker said. “At the same time, I know I’m on the right path. Obviously Kevin Durant was once a young player in this league trying to make a name for himself and I feel like I’m in that same situation.
Opinions on Booker are a bit more split outside the circle of NBA players. While 22.3 points per game and a 70-point outburst against the Celtics is nothing to take lightly, Booker still has many areas he can improve. He shot 42 percent from three last year with a .531 TS%. He’s also a very poor defender, another aspect of his game that advanced stats reflect very critically.
However, there is an undeniable intrigue in Booker. His ability to score in many areas is special, and he’s shown much more ability dribbling the ball than he ever showed at Kentucky. That kind of scoring ability will pay off even more as Booker learns to cut the bad shots and keep taking the good ones.
A big part of that is using the midrange game. The Suns were 11th in percentage of points coming from midrange. Both Watson and Booker mentioned the fact that the NBA is moving to threes and layups, and is moving away from long 2s. However, Booker still feels like that can be a part of his game.
“The midrange game is something I’ve been working on a lot of my life that I feel really comfortable with,” Booker said. “At the same time, if it’s one more pass to someone wide open in the corner, I’m gonna make that pass.”
Suns GM Ryan McDonough gave Booker great praise for his work during the offseason. He said that after playing and lifting early in the day, the third-year guard would often work out again with his own trainer at owner Robert Sarver’s house.
McDonough, like Watson, went behind simply skills on the floor and talked about how Booker had and will continue to develop as a leader.
“He has that natural charisma,” McDonough said. “He is kind of the leader of our young group, so to speak. When he speaks, guys listen. He’s taken steps to get closer to that and I think he will be that for us eventually.”
For his part, Booker is more focused on showing what he’s gotten better at rather than saying it in front of a microphone.
“I can talk about it up here, but if I don’t do it during the season then it doesn’t mean anything, Booker said.
He’ll certainly have the chance to show it when the season starts, and will have eyes both in and out of Phoenix closely watching him while he does.
