2. He Fits In With The Youth Movement
You might have caught this tidbit on the last slide, but if you didn’t, it definitely bears repeating: Devin Booker is only 18 years old. The only player younger than Booker in the entire draft class this year was UNLV’s Rashad Vaughn, so there’s added incentive to resist labeling Booker as a spot-up shooter and declare that’s all he’ll ever be in the NBA.
“I think primarily he’ll be a shooting guard, but the other thing we’ve considered is, to be honest with you, we’re not sure he’s done growing at 18 years old,” McDonough said.
After five straight seasons of missing the playoffs, fans’ patience is understandably wearing thin. But with Eric Bledsoe (25), Brandon Knight (23), Alex Len (22), Markieff Morris (25), Marcus Morris (25), Archie Goodwin (20) and T.J. Warren (21) representing this team’s core for now, the most prudent expectation might be letting these youngsters develop together.
Hornacek on Booker, "When you talk to him you realize he's a very mature 18 year old. He can step right in and play and is very confident."
— Jeffrey Sanders (@JeSanders11) June 26, 2015
Phoenix obviously needs veteran leadership and is still a star player away from being relevant in the Western Conference playoff picture. But drafting Booker clearly signifies the Suns’ value on youth, which is never a bad thing when it comes to adding draft picks to a team that’s not ready for postseason runs yet anyway.
The fact that Booker is such a good shooter he might be NBA-ready at age 18 is scary, and it’s also why there’s a great chance he can develop the other areas of his game to become a tremendous long-term asset for the Suns. Hornacek expanded on the kind of potential Booker could have as he continues to mature:
"“At 18 years old, there’s some things he can obviously grow into. Anytime you’re a shooter, you’re going to have guys trying to run you off the line and that’s when he’s going to be able to penetrate. “He’s a smart player, he knows how to play, he’ll make extra passes, he’ll get in the lane, he’ll know if a guy is on his hip that he probably doesn’t have the shot and he’ll take one or two dribbles and get in the lane….It’s not like he was all about scoring. He was trying to make the right plays and that’s a sign that a guy is going to be a good professional.”"
Next: No. 1