Devin Booker: Phoenix Suns 2015 Draft Profile
By Gavin Schall
![Mar 28, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Devin Booker (1) shoots over Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Jerian Grant (22) during the first half in the finals of the midwest regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports Mar 28, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Devin Booker (1) shoots over Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Jerian Grant (22) during the first half in the finals of the midwest regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/0aab8ae9451c71090880367073e0b3927d0d37812aa36235888ffe3c99589b0c.jpg)
Strengths
No. 1: kid can stroke it!
In a league where Stephen Curry is the MVP and teams are trending toward free-flowing, open court attacks, shooting is placed at more of a premium than ever and Booker is arguably the best the draft has to offer.
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Booker shot 41 percent from beyond the arc, 47 percent overall and 83 percent from the free throw line, that’s about as close as you’ll get at the college level to a 50-40-90 guy.
Booker has excellent mechanics that allow him to shoot with comfort off the dribble, a skill that’s incredibly rare for a teenager.
He’s also comfortable running around screens and he’s able to further leverage the inch of space they give him with up fakes that draw a defender off balance and allow Booker to take a rhythm dribble into a shot or go all the way to the rim.
After testing well at the combine, Booker showed up again on Monday.
Just like how he ran the combine's fastest lane agility & shuttle runs, Devin Booker was 1st in today's 3-minute run. pic.twitter.com/LPlNcdrM55
— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) June 1, 2015
While Booker is solid on the run, he shoots a ridiculous 61 percent from floor with his feet set.
The former Wildcat isn’t going to be making any NBA All-Defensive teams, but his size and sound fundamentals on that end should prevent him from being a liability.
Booker isn’t an elite passer, but he has great instincts and is great at moving off the ball. All that comes with the caveat that he wasn’t exactly put in stressful situations playing on a team full of All-Americans.
Next: Weaknesses