Booker Question

[1tinsoldier]

after 3 quarters against OKC last night i was going to post here that i liked how Booker was leading the team. It seemed like he was the only one who was up for this game, from the start, with the right intensity.

then he got the T in crunch time, i winced, K-ray grumbled and the team lost their mojo. had it not been for the successful foul challenge we would have been on the ropes in a must-win game considering the difficulty of our remaining schedule.

i think he's learning, but with the playoffs so close, i might have benched him after the T to make sure he got the message. he doesn't usually play his best with a hot head anyway.

 

[1tinsoldier]

the same scenario twice tonight
we only needed a 2 pt shot or 1 free throw to win and we settled for a Booker isolation and a 3 pt attempt.

not acceptable.
especially when we've got one of the best passing teams in the league, 2 of the best mid-range shooters in the game, and enough time on the clock to run a good play.

tonight makes the 4th time in 1 month that the Suns needed 1 to win and let Booker run down the clock and miss an awful 3pt shot

the first 2 times, shame on Booker. the last 2 times, shame on Monty

on the bright side, the Suns played as good defensively for 6 straight minutes as i've ever seen any team play

 

[Chris_Sanders]

LMAO

 

[Chris_Sanders]

and on top of all that pressure, is he still dating a Kardashian?

I will be nicer than this deserves

 

[Cheesebeef]

I will be nicer than this deserves

lol

 

[Ronin]

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[JCSunsfan]

He did it virtually by himself on a bad team.
He has done it on a good team with good players around him.
He led his team to the playoffs.
He has now done in the playoffs (yes just one game, but that is all he has had)

Superstar yet?

 

[Mainstreet]

Some more good Devin Booker news. He will donate $2.5 million to local nonprofits over 5 years.

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[Cheesebeef]

He did it virtually by himself on a bad team.
He has done it on a good team with good players around him.
He led his team to the playoffs.
He has now done in the playoffs (yes just one game, but that is all he has had)

Superstar yet?

after one playoff win? Uh... no. But it’s a hell of a start.

 

[Hoop Head]

Booker has been on the verge of superstardom for the last 2 years, at least.

He's still on the path there but won't reach it until he gets a bigger postseason resume built.

 

[Cheesebeef]

He did it virtually by himself on a bad team.
He has done it on a good team with good players around him.
He led his team to the playoffs.
He has now done in the playoffs (yes just one game, but that is all he has had)

Superstar yet?

not yet. I great game in Game 1. Bad game and terrible finish when it mattered most in Game 2. Let’s see how he responds in Game 3.

 

[nashman]

not yet. I great game in Game 1. Bad game and terrible finish when it mattered most in Game 2. Let’s see how he responds in Game 3.

I don’t think he had a bad game 2 at all. Did he make a few errors late because he was pressing, absolutely but he had to press no one else was doing poo and the Lakers knew it. If the refs call a legit game Book is at the line much sooner than the end just trying to even up the calls! The refs are freaking garbage every call went the Lakers way last night and they still barely pulled it out! Monte should be getting a fine and attack publicly the officials and NBA for allowing this crap when AD shoots more FTs than your whole squad combined its ********. The Lakers are the best D because the ducking N refs let them mug e wry one and never call fouls no other team gets to be that aggressive with no calls, it’s mind boggling. Take one for the team Monte get T’d up fined whatever make it known this is garbage and maybe they will call it more straight. If not start kicking them in the freaking balls and see if poo changes!

 

[Cheesebeef]

I don’t think he had a bad game 2 at all. Did he make a few errors late because he was pressing, absolutely but he had to press no one else was doing **** and the Lakers knew it. If the refs call a legit game Book is at the line much sooner than the end just trying to even up the calls! The refs are ******* garbage every call went the Lakers way last night and they still barely pulled it out! Monte should be getting a fine and attack publicly the officials and NBA for allowing this crap when AD shoots more FTs than your whole squad combined its ********. The Lakers are the best D because the ducking N refs let them mug e wry one and never call fouls no other team gets to be that aggressive with no calls, it’s mind boggling. Take one for the team Monte get T’d up fined whatever make it known this is garbage and maybe they will call it more straight. If not start kicking them in the ******* balls and see if **** changes!

yeah. Bad game was hyperbolic. He just wasn’t great and had issues closing down the stretch. He needs to be great for us to win, alongside some of the shooters actually showing up.

 

[Cheesebeef]

To answer your question again @JCSunsfan no. He’s not. He’s an All-Star in a loaded West but not close to a superstar.

I mean, a RESOUNDING “NO”.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

To answer your question again @JCSunsfan no. He’s not. He’s an All-Star in a loaded West but not close to a superstar.

I mean, a RESOUNDING “NO”.

Yeah, he’s not a top level superstar. A star, and all star, yes. But not a superstar.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Yeah, he’s not a top level superstar. A star, and all star, yes. But not a superstar.

and he’s a fringe All-Star at that.

he’s the SG version of Tom Chambers.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

Yeah, he’s not a top level superstar. A star, and all star, yes. But not a superstar.

Not yet at least. A lot of the superstar guys in the league right now weren't close to their peak at 24. This right here is a good place to find growth though.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

and he’s a fringe All-Star at that.

he’s the SG version of Tom Chambers.

Yeah that’s probably a good, and sad, comp.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Not yet at least. A lot of the superstar guys in the league right now weren't close to their peak at 24. This right here is a good place to find growth though.

I hope you’re right.

 

[SunnyBaller]

Booker is no superstar, I don't see him ever being one. The best players in the league are almost always great two way players. Booker won't be there defensively. In this league you need a top 5 player to win it all and sadly that's not going to be book if the suns get there

 

[Covert Rain]

Booker's job is to takeover games if he want's to be Superstar. He hasn't done in 3 games in a row. Not to mention the +/- was -16 when he was on the court. He is not a Superstar. He is a GREAT complimentary player who will always need one or two superstars to play along side of him to be impactful.

Could that change in the next couple years? Possibly but I seriously doubt it.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Not yet at least. A lot of the superstar guys in the league right now weren't close to their peak at 24. This right here is a good place to find growth though.

they might not have been at their peak by 24, but SUPERSTAR level guys were almost all SUPERSTARS at 24.

Wade, LeBron, Duncan, Shaq, Durant, Westbrook, Luka, CP3, Giannis.

You can tell pretty early if a guy is a SUPERSTAR. A SUPERSTAR is a guy who’s in the MVP candidate most years. Every one of those guys were MVP candidates by the time they were 24. In fact that only superstars I can think of that weren’t blatantly obvious superstars by 24 were Harden, Curry and Kawhi. But Kawhi was on a team loaded with vets ahead of him to eat. Curry was injured a lot during the beginning of his career and Harden is the total anomaly of a guy who’s game has shot into the stratosphere.

but here’s where Booker is different than every one of those guys. He has ONE special skill. Scoring. He has no elite second angle to his game. And to be honest... even his scoring isn’t “elite” as the 14th ranked scorer in the game. He’s not a good passer, rebounder or defender. He’s one dimensional and ALL of the guys above were MULTI-DIMENSIONAL right off the bat.

He doesn’t have the natural tools, passing ability or elite athleticism to be a superstar, IMO. Those aren’t things that are going to change.

He’s a scorer. You can’t win a title with a straight scorer being your best player.

 

[GatorAZ]

If Book was a elite 3pt shooter he’d be in the conversation of a top-10 player but like others have noted he’s got to work his ass off to get buckets. As elite as his mid-range is it’s just not that valuable in today’s league.

I don’t think you have to be a good defender to be a superstar either. There have been plenty examples of that throughout history. Game 4 is a big one for him regardless of the result.

 

[Cheesebeef]

If Book was a elite 3pt shooter he’d be in the conversation of a top-10 player but like others have noted he’s got to work his ass off to get buckets. As elite as his mid-range is it’s just not that valuable in today’s league.

I don’t think you have to be a good defender to be a superstar either. There have been plenty examples of that throughout history. Game 4 is a big one for him regardless of the result.

I agree about the good defender part. You just can’t be completely one dimensional. If he was an elite scorer AND passer he could be a superstar. But he can’t be the focal point of a great offense because he can’t conduct one at an elite level.

in other words... a SG version of Tom Chambers. I mean, even Chambers was able to go ridiculously off for 60 once (and in a win no less!). But here’s what Chambers couldn’t do. He couldn’t create for anyone else. He didn’t rebound well. And he didn’t play good defense. He complained to the refs... A LOT.

and when defenses ratcheted up in the playoffs, he always got stymied and didn’t have a second part of his game to make an impact. Much like we’re seeing with Book right now.

 

[GatorAZ]

I agree about the good defender part. You just can’t be completely one dimensional. If he was an elite scorer AND passer he could be a superstar. But he can’t be the focal point of a great offense because he can’t conduct one at an elite level.

in other words... a SG version of Tom Chambers. I mean, even Chambers was able to go ridiculously off for 60 once (and in a win no less!). But here’s what Chambers couldn’t do. He couldn’t create for anyone else. He didn’t rebound well. And he didn’t play good defense. He complained to the refs... A LOT.

and when defenses ratcheted up in the playoffs, he always got stymied. Much like we’re seeing with Book right now.

Chambers is a good one. Great numbers and superstar “moments” but not a superstar.