Devin Booker future extension

[JCSunsfan]

Jackson can be a Pippen-like player. But Booker cannot be a Jordan-like player. I think Ray Allen is his ceiling. Len. Well. Maybe L*** L*****y.

I will never forget Danny Ainge giving a candid interview about Longley's press conference after the trade. Longely mentioned something in his presser about getting out from under Mike's shadow and leading a team himself.

Ainge said he turned to the person sitting next to him and said, "Oh no. He actually thinks he is good!"

 

[Superbone]

Jackson can be a Pippen-like player. But Booker cannot be a Jordan-like player. I think Ray Allen is his ceiling. Len. Well. Maybe L*** L*****y.

I highly disagree regarding Booker. He is much more than a catch and shoot guy. He already has more offensive moves than Allen ever had.

 

[SirStefan32]

While I agree that Booker is not going to be a Jordan-level player (or Kobe, for that matter) due to athleticism, I think he can be better than Ray Allen, though Allen was a great player in his own right. It is scary just how good Booker is. I swear that people forget he is only 20 years old.

 

[Hoop Head]

People seem to forget the Ray Allen who played on the Bucks and Sonics, he was much more than a catch and shoot player or a great 3rd option like he was in Boston.

 

[Praxis]

Devin is not as athletic as MJ or Kobe, but he is a better 3-point shooter. This is one of the biggest components of the game nowadays. I think he has plenty of room to develop as a playmaker and defensive player. His ceiling is higher than say, Klay Thompson, who made his NBA debut at 21.5 years old. Give him time. I think he will eventually be good in all facets and elevate everyone around him.

 

[Hoop Head]

If Booker can get half as locked in defensively as either Kobe or Jordan I'd be ecstatic. He'll be a good to great offensive player but defense is what he needs to work on to be considered an all time great.

 

[Phrazbit]

I highly disagree regarding Booker. He is much more than a catch and shoot guy. He already has more offensive moves than Allen ever had.

I think he can be better than Ray Allen, but, as was discussed earlier in the summer, if he is "merely" another Ray Allen, then we should be thrilled. Ray Allen is a first ballot hall of famer and one of the best shooters in NBA history. He carried multiple teams to 50 win seasons and playoff runs, once he got united with other all-stars he was a key cog on a champion.

I'd be fine if that is Booker's destiny.

 

[hcsilla]

I think he can be better than Ray Allen, but, as was discussed earlier in the summer, if he is "merely" another Ray Allen, then we should be thrilled. Ray Allen is a first ballot hall of famer and one of the best shooters in NBA history. He carried multiple teams to 50 win seasons and playoff runs, once he got united with other all-stars he was a key cog on a champion.

I'd be fine if that is Booker's destiny.

I'm not sure at all that Booker can be better than Allen. I just don't see the upside where in the future he can beat prime-time Ray Allen.

However, I do agree that it's a very good thing if he "only" reaches Ray Allen's level.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Um. Ray Allen was not just a catch and shoot player.

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[Superbone]

Um. Ray Allen was not just a catch and shoot player.

He mostly is. Sure, he can dunk the basketball. Those top 10 plays of his career haven't convinced me otherwise.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

Um. Ray Allen was not just a catch and shoot player.

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Really a 10 play highlight video is supposed to be proof for your argument?

 

[JCSunsfan]

OK.

Really a 10 play highlight video is supposed to be proof for your argument?

OK. Its just an example. I guess most of you are too young to have watched Ray Allen play, especially early in his career. He could score from all over and was quite athletic.

But believe what you like.

 

[Chaplin]

OK.

OK. Its just an example. I guess most of you are too young to have watched Ray Allen play, especially early in his career. He could score from all over and was quite athletic.

But believe what you like.

Absolutely.

People have short memories, they only remember his last few years in Miami and maybe Boston. They don't remember how good he was in Seattle. He Got Game!

 

[JCSunsfan]

This might help. Ray entered the league primarily as a mid-range player. I have not checked, but I am pretty sure that Devin shoots more threes (as a percentage of his overall shots) than Ray did in his first few years.

https://chickennoodlehoop.com/2014/06/10/career-shot-and-point-distribution-charts-ray-allen/

If Devin's shooting, D, and overall game reach Ray's level, then we have first ballot hall of famer. I am trying to be realistic. Ray could play decent D at times. He did pretty well against Kobe in the finals. I would think that is about as good as Devin could get--not Jordan level D.
I

 

[Superbone]

OK.

OK. Its just an example. I guess most of you are too young to have watched Ray Allen play, especially early in his career. He could score from all over and was quite athletic.

But believe what you like.

I've been following the Suns and the NBA since before Ray Allen came into the league. Devin Booker is a different player than Ray Allen. Sure, if you were to make a Venn diagram of their skills, there would be a lot of overlap. But there are definitely differences as well. Booker is offensively more well rounded.

I don't like the idea of pigeonholing one player to the skills of another.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I highly disagree regarding Booker. He is much more than a catch and shoot guy. He already has more offensive moves than Allen ever had.

You must not remember young ray allen

 

[3rdside]

So Booker was the third youngest ever to 4000 points behind LBJ and KD..Impressive stuff although it sounds like an over hype so I did some digging and it totally is for now, although DB's 3pt% is competitive. LBJ and KD knocked the 4k mark off very early into their third seasons, Booker nearer the end.

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[3rdside]

At some point his fg% must get better otherwise he's on a path to being overrated, not least by us.

 

[3rdside]

I'm in rush so I can't filter these results but he's crudely 282nd out of 510 players to have stepped on an NBA court this season. LBJ and KD are both top 20, that's how good those two are.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2018_per_game.html


(and I came across that DeAndre Jordan has the highest fg% of anyone in the history of the game by a wtf?! mile:

https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/fg_pct_career.html)

 

[Hoop Head]

So Booker was the third youngest ever to 4000 points behind LBJ and KD..Impressive stuff although it sounds like an over hype so I did some digging and it totally is for now, although DB's 3pt% is competitive. LBJ and KD knocked the 4k mark off very early into their third seasons, Booker nearer the end.

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Difference between Lebron, Durant, and Booker is that Durant and LBJ both came into the NBA as starters while Booker came off the bench for the first half of his rookie season. Booker started in 51 of the 76 games he played in during his rookie year while averaging just 27.7 minutes a game. Durant played and started in 80 games his rookie year and averaged 34.6 minutes a game. In his 2nd year he started in all 74 games that he played in and was getting 39 minutes a game. In his 3rd year he started 82 games and was playing 39.5 minutes a night. Meanwhile Lebron started in all 79 games during his rookie year while averaging 39.5 minutes a game in that season. In his 2nd year he started all 80 games and led the league in minutes per game at 42.4 a night. In his 3rd year he averaged 42.5 minutes a game in the 79 games he started in.

Booker averaged only 27.7 as a rookie. He played in 35 minutes per game in his 2nd year while starting all 78 games he appeared in. This season he's played in 49 games and averaged 34.6 minutes a game. He's missed 15 games this season also, which slowed him down. Had he not been injured he could have hit 4k points before February. It's still a huge feat but I think we could see Booker getting to certain milestones before guys like Lebron and Durant if he can stay healthy.

 

[3rdside]

Difference between Lebron, Durant, and Booker is that Durant and LBJ both came into the NBA as starters while Booker came off the bench for the first half of his rookie season. Booker started in 51 of the 76 games he played in during his rookie year while averaging just 27.7 minutes a game. Durant played and started in 80 games his rookie year and averaged 34.6 minutes a game. In his 2nd year he started in all 74 games that he played in and was getting 39 minutes a game. In his 3rd year he started 82 games and was playing 39.5 minutes a night. Meanwhile Lebron started in all 79 games during his rookie year while averaging 39.5 minutes a game in that season. In his 2nd year he started all 80 games and led the league in minutes per game at 42.4 a night. In his 3rd year he averaged 42.5 minutes a game in the 79 games he started in.

Booker averaged only 27.7 as a rookie. He played in 35 minutes per game in his 2nd year while starting all 78 games he appeared in. This season he's played in 49 games and averaged 34.6 minutes a game. He's missed 15 games this season also, which slowed him down. Had he not been injured he could have hit 4k points before February. It's still a huge feat but I think we could see Booker getting to certain milestones before guys like Lebron and Durant if he can stay healthy.

It’s the shooting % I was trying to highlight rather than explain why he didn’t get there faster.


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[Hoop Head]

I understand his shooting percentage isn't great but it's not far from most other 1st option SG's in the league. Compare it to Wade, Butler, Wiggins, Oladipo, etc.

 

[3rdside]

And he’s been without a point guard for the whole of this season so there’s that also.


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[CardsSunsDbacks]

I understand his shooting percentage isn't great but it's not far from most other 1st option SG's in the league. Compare it to Wade, Butler, Wiggins, Oladipo, etc.

He also doesn’t have much help around him on this team. Both LBJ and KD were on good teams by their third year.

 

[Mainstreet]

(and I came across that DeAndre Jordan has the highest fg% of anyone in the history of the game by a wtf?! mile:

https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/fg_pct_career.html)[/QUOTE]

I would have guessed Chamberlain at the top. Must be the Bill Russel effect.