Suns Squared: Booker’s Backcourt Partner

Taking a look at how Booker’s stats compare to when he starts next to Bledsoe vs Ulis.

Devin Booker had displayed copious reasons why he is the future of the Suns franchise, and that was before he scored 70 in a game on Friday night. Booker has had some ups and downs all season but the fact is, as proved last night, that he can flat out score the basketball. Going forward, the Suns will no doubt be looking to build around him.

With that in mind, I wanted to look at how Booker has played this season with Bledsoe or Ulis starting next to him. Ulis has been included because of his improved play and he has much more time the last couple weeks. Ulis too is showing he has a future as at least a good rotation guard.

PPG

AST

RPG

STL

TO

FG%

3P%

eFG%

DRE per min

USG%

Eric Bledsoe

21.14

3.18

3.09

0.82

2.95

43.1%

37.2%

48.3%

0.093

28.2%

Tyler Ulis

27.6

3.2

4.2

1.8

3.8

35.5%

28.6%

39.6%

0.077

32.5%

To start off, the Ulis as a starter sample size is particularly small (5 games) and has been skewed a bit by the 70 point game by Booker on Friday. Given that, Booker still produces more with Ulis next to him. Ulis is a rookie and has a much more limited game than Bledsoe so this isn’t much of a surprise. Playing next to Ulis has its advantages though because Booker is able to initiate the offense a little more and be the primary playmaker which is a spot that fits him well. This much is clear from the USG% number which is 4 percentage points higher with Ulis starting than with Bledsoe starting. That increase in usage is likely the reason for the decreased efficiency and shooting percentages across the board for Booker.

Another factor in the lineup difference is the defense considerations. Ulis is a scrappy defender and will get into it with opposing players but is undersized and overmatched against many of the better point guards. This in turn forces Booker to guard the more difficult assignments whereas, with Bledsoe next to him, Booker can take the easier defensive assignment and focus on scoring.

The increased production shown by Booker is a good sign of a rounding out of Booker’s game which is critical to him becoming a franchise cornerstone as a superstar. The unclear future for the Suns makes it a good sign that Booker can play equally with two different players next to him and should indicate some flexibility for the Suns in pairing Booker with another guard via the draft, free agency, and trades, if/when they decide to move on from Bledsoe, or Knight.

Booker’s 70 point Game

I would be remiss if I didn’t talk a bit about Booker’s 70 point game. Booker becoming the 6th player to score 70 points in a game is a huge accomplishment. Statistically, his eFG% (57.5%) is on the low end compared to the other 70 points games. However his points per minute (1.6) is middle of the pack. Spectacularly though he shot the highest free throw percentage of all the 70-point scorers (92.3%). Finally, he had the second most points per shot (1.8) and the second lowest shooting possessions (53).