Phoenix Suns: 5 Reasons Devin Booker Was The Right Pick

With the 13th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Phoenix Suns received some mixed reactions from fans and NBA Twitter when they selected Devin Booker. Not only does Booker mark the fourth straight guard taken by the Suns in the draft, but this Kentucky product also joins Phoenix’s all-Wildcats backcourt ok Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and Archie Goodwin.

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After watching Phoenix’s failed hydra experiment with three point guards go up in flames last season, most fans were ready for a frontcourt addition in the lottery, especially after the Morris twins did an effective job alienating themselves from Suns supporters all season long.

And yet, even bearing all of that in mind, general manager Ryan McDonough still nailed this year’s first round pick by taking this shooting guard.

Adding another backcourt player to a team that was notorious last season for its three point guard lineups was bound to draw a few eye rolls, but Booker has a lot to offer this team and shouldn’t be dismissed so easily. If you’re still wondering why on earth the Suns decided to add another guard, here’s a look at five reasons why Devin Booker should be a terrific fit in Phoenix for the long-term.

Next: No. 5

5. He Was As Good An Option As Any At No. 13

Booker is not a sure thing by any means; in fact, outside of Karl-Anthony Towns, I’m not sure I’m willing to label anyone in this year’s draft class “a sure thing.” But considering where the Suns picked in the lottery, snagging Booker at No. 13 was a pretty high value move.

It’s true: Phoenix probably would have really benefitted from adding a stretch-4 to relieve Markieff Morris off the bench, or a backup center to play behind the oft-injured Alex Len. And to be fair, the Suns tried. According to multiple reports, they attempted to trade up to the No. 9 pick, where the Charlotte Hornets eventually selected Frank Kaminsky.

Kaminsky would’ve been a high-quality addition to the Suns’ roster for his perimeter shooting, his outstanding basketball IQ, his Grade-A character and his ability to give Len more opportunities to rest…but not at the cost of whatever asset it would’ve taken to move up to No. 9.

If anything, Booker should be seen as a blessing in disguise when trade talks with Charlotte failed. His falling to the Suns at No. 13, when Phoenix had reportedly been trying to trade up to take Kaminsky, a prospect many fans had lukewarm feelings about, represents a draft victory of sorts.

When the Indiana Pacers took Myles Turner at No. 11, the Suns had lost their top two big man prospects. At that point, Phoenix’s best options were Booker, Kelly Oubre, Bobby Portis and Cameron Payne. Do any of those really stand out as a hands-down superior option to Booker? Your answer to that question should probably be “no.”

Oubre has the physical traits to excel at the next level, but he’s a bit of a project and could bust as easily as he could boom. If you thought the negative reactions to Booker were taking it too far, just imagine what would’ve happened if McDonough had opted for Payne, a point guard from the relatively unknown Murray State.

Bobby Portis was probably the most tantalizing option not named Booker because of his stretch-4 potential and his Kevin Garnett-like intensity. But even after a bunch of great pre-draft workouts that got rave reviews, he wasn’t selected until No. 22 by the Chicago Bulls; perhaps he wasn’t as high on everyone’s draft boards as people thought.

Justise Winslow shockingly slid all the way to No. 10, but not far enough to No. 13. Kevon Looney and Montrezl Harrell went much later than expected, shedding light on most teams’ opinions of them. At No. 13, Booker fit in with McDonough’s “best available player” mantra, and to be perfectly honest, he probably isn’t wrong about that assertion.

Next: No. 4

4. He Has A High Basketball IQ

Like it or not, this current Phoenix Suns team doesn’t have very many likable players that fans relate to. The Morris twins spent the year racking up technicals and calling out their own fans, culminating in a felony aggravated assault case. Eric Bledsoe had a great season on the court in his first full year as a starter, but he never truly took over as a charismatic leader.

Archie Goodwin and T.J. Warren thrilled in small doses, but they’re very young and didn’t get enough minutes. Alex Len made serious strides, but he’s a quiet guy who couldn’t stay on the court because of foul trouble and injuries at the end of the year. Brandon Knight is the new guy in town and the face of the franchise — Goran Dragic — was traded away at the deadline as his relationship with the team quickly soured.

The Phoenix Suns could definitely use an intelligent, high-character rookie, and they got all that and more in Devin Booker.

Obviously you don’t draft a player based on their character or their intellect alone. But it’s also not a bad thing that this sharpshooter just so happens to have an elite basketball IQ, a humble disposition and an extremely positive attitude.

In an all-Kentucky backcourt, Booker will have the opportunity to feel comfortable right from the start, but not to the point of taking away the hunger that’s clearly driving him. This is a guy who never saw himself as a lottery pick and had no idea where he’d end up despite multiple mock drafts projecting him as early as the No. 8 pick.

When asked about his most common NBA comparison, Klay Thompson, Booker completely downplayed it, choosing instead to reiterate that he’s still got a lot of work to do:

Some fans love draft picks that ooze with confidence. But Booker’s admission that he’s going to have to work hard to improve certain areas of his game should be seen as a positive — especially for a fanbase that’s grown tired of bad decision-making, both on and off the court.

Booker, like most rookies on draft night, said multiple times how happy he was with where he ended up. But the Suns are actually a good fit for him with two point guards that can feed him on the wing, and Booker has seemed genuine and thoughtful with his responses throughout the entire pre-draft process.

The Suns didn’t draft him because he can give a good interview, but the fact that Devin Booker has a high level of intellect and maturity at such a young age makes him a far safer pick in the long run than people are giving him credit for.

Next: No. 3

3. He Can Be More Than Just A Shooter

Booker was frequently pegged as the best pure shooter in this year’s draft class, and we’ll get to how that fits in with the Suns in a minute. But both McDonough and head coach Jeff Hornacek seemed confident that he can be more than the guy who just stands in the corner and shoots open looks.

“Coming into the pre-draft process, I think people kind of pigeonholed Devin as a spot-up shooter, and one of the things that stood out as we dug in deeper on the film, as we talked to the coaches and the people around Kentucky and just really cracked down and studied him, was that he’s a lot more than that,” McDonough said. “He’s able to catch-and-shoot, he’s got great elevation on the ball, but he’s also able to catch the ball and put in on the floor and make a play.”

At the next level, Booker will need to improve his ball handling. He’ll also need to take the ball to the basket more often than he did in college, especially when defenses close-out on him too recklessly. But both McDonough and Hornacek noted that even when he wasn’t attacking the rim, he was making the smart play and passing out to the open man after probing the defense.

Hornacek said that element will be a natural development in his game once he earns respect from defenders for his three-point touch.

“When you’re a rookie a lot of times you get those open looks because if teams are gonna go help, they’re gonna go help on the veteran guys,” he said. “So once he establishes that you can’t leave him open, that’s when the adjustments in his game will come.”

On the defensive end of the floor, Booker was nothing special in college. But at 6’6″ and with a 6’8″ wingspan, he has the physical tools to become a serviceable defender at the NBA level.

“He has the potential to be pretty strong, he already is fairly strong, once he gets in the weight room and matures, you know, he’s only 18 years old,” McDonough said. “He has the potential to be a guy who can guard multiple positions.”

Finally, it’s worth noting that Booker impressed people at the 2015 NBA Draft Combine with his sneaky athleticism, recording the fastest times in the lane agility and shuttle runs. Label him solely as a shooter for now if you must, but this kid has a ton of potential to strengthen the other areas of his game and become a much more polished product down the road.

Next: No. 2

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.

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

1. He Addresses A Huge Area Of Need

The biggest trait Devin Booker brings to the table is (obviously) three-point shooting. In his freshman season at Kentucky, Booker shot 47 percent from the floor and 41.1 percent from three-point range on 3.7 attempts per game. Booker also converted 82.8 percent of his attempts from the free throw line. Simply put, the kid can stroke the ball.

The Suns could’ve used some frontcourt depth in the draft, but they also desperately needed to find someone who could space the floor and alleviate some of the defensive pressure on Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight. Don’t forget, the Suns were the NBA’s worst three-point shooting team after the trade deadline.

“We were really targeting shooting, and shooters,” McDonough said. “One of the real mysteries for us was why some of the guys who remained on the roster [after the deadline] just didn’t shoot the ball as well. Regardless of that, it was something we wanted to address, our three-point shooting in particular, either in the draft or free agency or both, and I think we took the first step toward doing that tonight.”

Not only is Booker’s three-point shooting valuable to a team that could use the floor spacing for its penetrating guards, but it’s also a premium value in the NBA as the league continues to dive further and further into the pace-and-space era.

Both McDonough and Hornacek referred to the NBA champion Golden State Warriors as trendsetters, indicating the direction the league is heading in.

“The increase in three-point shooting attempts has skyrocketed, it’s something that almost every team’s looking for, including us,” McDonough said. “But that threat is huge, obviously he’s a terrific shooter, but even if he doesn’t have the ball as much or doesn’t get as many shots as he did at Kentucky, the threat of him will really open up the court for Eric and Brandon and some of the other guys to do some things.”

While praising what Booker brings to the table as a shooter, Hornacek also mentioned that he was not only a fan of the shooting itself, but the shot selection too.

“Usually guys can’t shoot in the 40s [percentage] from the [three-point] line if you’re taking bad shots,” he said. “He took shots that were there and, again, I think that’s a sign of a guy knowing how to play.”

There are questions about what this draft selection means for Archie Goodwin, another young shooting guard prospect who will be fighting for developmental minutes, and the writing is almost certainly on the wall for Gerald Green (an unrestricted free agent) and Reggie Bullock.

But at the end of the day, narrowing down the efficacy of the Suns’ 2015 first round draft pick to being “just another guard” would be a mistake. As an 18-year-old sharpshooter with a good head on his shoulders and a lot of potential to build on, Devin Booker could wind up proving a lot of people wrong in the near future.

Next: Phoenix Suns 2015 NBA Draft Grade: Devin Booker

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