Devin Booker, point guard of the future?

[Mainstreet]

I'm not sure if it's been posted already but Earl Watson is viewing Devin Booker as another PG of the future option going forward. He sees Booker as being able to do many of the same things James Harden does. Might this influence how the Suns view the draft? I don't think so, although it could give the Suns more flexibility if they decide to move down in the draft.

On Sunday, before the Suns took on the Houston Rockets at Talking Stick Resort Arena, coach Earl Watson seemed to throw another name into the mix: Devin Booker. And he did it while comparing Booker to perhaps the NBA’s Most Valuable Player this season.

“I don’t know if I’ve said this publicly before, but he reminds me a lot of James Harden,” Watson said.

“He plays at his own speed,” Watson said. “He plays not fast, but it’s quick. Not blazing, but somehow he dunks on you. He can shoot, he can handle, he can pass and he can post up. He’s very versatile.”

Could he see Booker being a full-time point guard in the future?

“I think if that’s possible, James will open up the door for him to do that,” Watson said. “You definitely see him with the ball in his hands down the stretch. It depends on the roster and creativity and vision of the program.”

I've been seeing many of the same things with Devin Booker, the ability to play PG. It will be interesting to see if it happens although I don't think it will happen over night.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...oenix-suns-earl-watson-mike-dantoni/99965360/

 

[Mainstreet]

If one looks at career stats for Booker and Harden, Booker is well on his way to becoming a Harden type player regarding assists.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hardeja01.html

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bookede01.html


Booker is averaging 22 points and 3.4 assists per season at the age of 20. He should only get better.

I'm wondering if Ryan McDonough views Booker's future the same way.

 

[sunsfan88]

I'm not sure if it will work but one thing I like about Booker at PG is that it would allow us to get a more defensive specialist type 3 & D SG who can defend 1-3. I feel like having a defensive player at SG is more important than having one at PG.

But I'm not sure Booker can make the transition. Harden has very advanced ball handling skills and has elite dribbling skills. His crossover itself is probably top 5 in the league. He's also much more athletic than Booker.

 

[Mainstreet]

I'm not sure if it will work but one thing I like about Booker at PG is that it would allow us to get a more defensive specialist type 3 & D SG who can defend 1-3. I feel like having a defensive player at SG is more important than having one at PG.

But I'm not sure Booker can make the transition. Harden has very advanced ball handling skills and has elite dribbling skills. His crossover itself is probably top 5 in the league. He's also much more athletic than Booker.

A few things I see by gradually moving Booker PG. The Suns could add another defensive or offensive oriented guard as you note. Also the Suns answer the PG question when Bledsoe's contract expires if he is not traded. Additionally the Suns add to their versatility at the guard position.

In regard to Harden's advanced ball handling skills, all I can say, let's continue to develop his skills and see what happens. I remember I was not high on Harden coming out of Arizona State. Wow. Was I wrong.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I don't think anyone saw Harden as a pg coming out of ASU. While he gets alot of assists, he is an odd pg.

 

[GatorAZ]

No terrible idea. Watson was just giving him props and comparing to Harden because Houston was in town.

Can he control the ball at times? Sure... but he's a prototypical SG who maybe able to average around 5 assists like Ray Allen and Brandon Roy were able to do at points of their career. Anything more is just overcomplicating his development going forward.

 

[SirStefan32]

I like having multiple players who can handle the ball, run the offense, and make plays for others. Just because Booker can do these things doesn't mean he is necessarily the point guard of the future. It does open up some possibilities, though!

Scenario one:
I am not comparing the two players here, but Kobe had Fisher. Fisher didn't need the ball in his hands, but he could handle the ball, run the offense, and he was a very good defender and shooter. He wasn't a great player, but he was a perfect match for Kobe. Suns may not need a star PG- they need one that defends and shoots. We are seeing a similar scenario with Harden and Beverly. Hardaway Magic might be a similar example, though my memory is not good enough to say that with certainty. Shaw or Scott alongside Penny was a bit different than Anderson next to him, so it may not be as good of an example. Some of Grant Hill's teams had similar setups with Grand and Stackhouse handling the ball more than Hunter who defended and shot 3s. The point is that there are precedents for these types of lineups, with various levels of success.

Scenario two:
Great passing PG who can make things easy on Booker. This would be your Steve Nash, Jason Kidd types.

I honestly think Booker might be better in the first scenario, but it would be really interesting to see him play alongside someone who looks to pass and create rather than score. That said, I don't quite know where to find a Nash/ Kidd type today.

One thing that Booker doesn't need is a PG who has to have the ball in his hands. Knight is a terrible match, and I don't think Bledsoe is ideal either. While I do like Ulis, he is not a great match either- he is a defensive liability due to his size. You cannot be a good defensive team with the starting back court of Ulis and Booker.

 

[AsUpRoDiGy]

I'm not sure if it will work but one thing I like about Booker at PG is that it would allow us to get a more defensive specialist type 3 & D SG who can defend 1-3. I feel like having a defensive player at SG is more important than having one at PG.

But I'm not sure Booker can make the transition. Harden has very advanced ball handling skills and has elite dribbling skills. His crossover itself is probably top 5 in the league. He's also much more athletic than Booker.

The knock on Harden coming out of college was he lacked elite athleticism. I looked at Harden's combine results and compared them to Booker's, and while Harden had a 4" advantage on the vertical...Booker was quicker on the lane runs. And being that Booker is only 20...his muscles still have a lot of development left, and are nowhere near their peak...especially if he starts training like a mad-man. I don't think Booker will be as good as Harden, but I think he'll be a top 5 SG in the next year or two...guaranteed.

 

[slinslin]

No but if the Suns are lucky enough to draft Fultz they will finally fulfill that vision of having a backcourt of two guards that can both attack and run plays.

 

[slinslin]

The knock on Harden coming out of college was he lacked elite athleticism. I looked at Harden's combine results and compared them to Booker's, and while Harden had a 4" advantage on the vertical...Booker was quicker on the lane runs. And being that Booker is only 20...his muscles still have a lot of development left, and are nowhere near their peak...especially if he starts training like a mad-man. I don't think Booker will be as good as Harden, but I think he'll be a top 5 SG in the next year or two...guaranteed.

Who knows, Harden is not more athletic than Booker, maybe a better leaper but that is it really.

Booker at 20 is far far better than Harden was at that age so I dont see how it can be ruled out that Booker won't be as good or better than Harden.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

No but if the Suns are lucky enough to draft Fultz they will finally fulfill that vision of having a backcourt of two guards that can both attack and run plays.

Fultz is who I am hoping for as well. Wouldn't mind a trade down and get Isaac if Fultz is already gone either.

Who knows, Harden is not more athletic than Booker, maybe a better leaper but that is it really.

Booker at 20 is far far better than Harden was at that age so I dont see how it can be ruled out that Booker won't be as good or better than Harden.

Completely agree. Do people not see Booker's speed and quickness? He isn't the most explosive athlete (high leaper), but he is a nightmare in the open court and jumps high enough to rarely get his shots blocked. He absolutely has a chance at being a better player than Harden because I believe he still has the chance of becoming a better defender.

 

[leclerc]

I think the Suns stunt young player development because they're not clear and definite enough early on. See Len and Archie. I'm afraid of throwing too much at Booker. Let him stay in the SG role for now. No SF, no PG. Sure, he's capable of bringing it up and initiating plays, but he should not think about this as his responsibility for now. Let's keep Bledsoe and Ulis going forward.

If they like one of the wings better than Fultz and Ball & the other small guards then try to maneuver to get one of them. Then start next year with Bledsoe and Booker backcourt. Take it from there. I agree it's something that he might be capable of and we sure could use shooting and defense so it's a tempting scenario to get a Paxson/Kerr/Fischer or a bigger wing defender and shooter in there. The main thing is shooting.

Go Suns!

 

[3rdside]

Completely agree. Do people not see Booker's speed and quickness? He isn't the most explosive athlete (high leaper), but he is a nightmare in the open court and jumps high enough to rarely get his shots blocked. He absolutely has a chance at being a better player than Harden because I believe he still has the chance of becoming a better defender.

http://www.espn.co.uk/nba/story/_/id/17636581/data-helping-nba-players-redefine-meaning-athleticism


"We have found," says Elliott, "that in the rare case that a professional athlete has any one physical performance metric that is substantially better than those of the other genetic lottery winners they play against in pro sports, they nearly always find a way to exploit it on the court or field."

In Harden's case, his athletic profile is very similar to the average NBA guard assessed. Looking at high-level performance metrics, he is generally right in the middle of the pack. Still, despite lacking obvious, elite athletic qualities, Harden has made a career out of keeping the defense off-balance -- creating space when it suits him and drawing the defender into a foul when the opportunity presents itself.

"He has astoundingly consistent spikes in metrics associated with a single characteristic -- braking," Elliott says of Harden. "He has the best all-around NBA braking system we've ever measured."

 

[JCSunsfan]

There is no reason why Booker should not become a good defender. Its just a matter of will. He is not so physically deficient he cannot do it.