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Learning From Past Mistakes: How To Handle Devin Booker

By Scott Chasen

Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Devin Booker (Kentucky) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number thirteen overall pick to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Devin Booker (Kentucky) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number thirteen overall pick to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Despite playing the same position at the same college, Archie Goodwin and Devin Booker aren’t that similar as players. Goodwin came out of college as a raw slasher, whose size and athleticism were among his best assets at the college level, while Booker entered the league as a skillful shooter, who excelled off the ball with a high basketball IQ.

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However, both did share one more thing. They were drafted at the age of 18, making each of them at one point one of the youngest players in the entire NBA. And because of that the Suns should be able to take some things away from how they handled Goodwin and apply them to Booker.

1. Time In The D-League

There is definitely some merit to players sticking around with their NBA squad, even if they aren’t necessarily getting consistent minutes. I think it’s important to preface with that because simply learning how to be an NBA player can be just as important to some guys as actually logging more game minutes against sub-NBA competition.

However, after a month or two has passed, I don’t think it would be a mistake to send Booker down to Bakersfield, and actually send him down for more than a couple of games.

In Archie Goodwin’s rookie season, the Suns waited until the very end of January to send him down. And right away, there seemed to be positive results. Goodwin averaged 26.4 points per game in his five D-League contests, although he did average more than 20 shooting possessions per game, which included over five attempted threes per outing.

However, in Goodwin’s second season, the Suns handled it a little bit differently. They first sent him down to the D-League in December, and Goodwin ended up going back and forth between Phoenix and the D-League through the middle of February.

I definitely think that time helped Goodwin improve as a player.

Sure, there are statistical improvements. Goodwin totaled 10 or more free throw attempts just twice in his first 10 games, despite having the size and athleticism, along with the mentality, to get to the rim and force the issue. However, in his last five D-League games, Goodwin posted 10-plus free throw attempts four times, closing out the D-League season with back-to-back 14-free throw attempt games.

However, the real improvement wasn’t really shown through the numbers.

Suns fans that watched the team at the Summer League got to see a brand new type of Archie Goodwin. After a shaky first game, Goodwin finally started to settle in and feel more comfortable. His shot form looked to be without a hitch for the first time in his NBA career, and he seemed to drive with a purpose, rather than just throwing himself toward the hoop.

Hopefully the Suns noticed how much that time helped.

Unless Booker is playing a big amount of minutes right away, I’d like to see the Suns give him about 10 games in the D-League, or at the very least, get started with those games earlier in the year.

2. Professionalism

Simply put, the Suns need to make sure they keep Devin Booker happy. The front office cannot afford to take another loss, and considering that Archie Goodwin has expressed problems with the front office, they need to be especially careful with how they handle Booker.

It’s the little things.

For example, when I interviewed Goodwin at the D-League Showcase in Santa Cruz, he told me he was given one-day notice that he would be leaving the Suns to go play with the Jam. And he was frustrated about it.

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Now, I understand it’s hard to give notice on what may be a last-minute decision, but even if it isn’t the typical NBA etiquette, the Suns need to be communicating with Booker and letting him know what their plans for him are.

Basically, for the foreseeable future, everything needs to be handled with kid gloves. There’s no room for error. And really, this is a step that will help the Suns in the long run. It’s hard to get free agents to sign with your team when (1) your owner has the reputation of being incredibly cheap — whether or not it is warranted — and (2) the perception of the current players is that they’re all unhappy.

Simply put, the Suns need to combat the current way they’re being looked at by the public, and how they treat Devin Booker will ultimately be a big part of that.

3. The T.J. Warren & Klay Thompson Experiences

Last year when the Suns were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, they actually made a really strong decision, as they started playing their young guys more. With that, T.J. Warren was thrust into the rotation and he actually played pretty well. Warren posted multiple double-digit performances toward the end of the year, which included a really strong showing against the eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors.

For Booker, it needs to be a similar scenario. If the Suns are going to be eliminated from the playoffs, Booker absolutely needs to be a big part of the rotation, even if the final result is more losses.

There’s definitely a precedent for this too.

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Newly-signed Mavericks wing excited for rivalry with Suns and Devin Booker
Newly-signed Mavericks wing excited for rivalry with Suns and Devin Booker /

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    • The NBA comparison for Devin Booker entering the NBA Draft was Klay Thompson, and if Thompson’s first season was any indication of what needs to happen, Booker needs game experience wherever he can get it.

    Now, I will say it’s quite unlikely — I cannot emphasize that enough — that Booker will step into his role and become the next Klay Thompson right away, but it was very clear the effect early game experience had on Thompson; and similarly, that in-game experience could serve to bring Booker along further than Goodwin through his first season.

    In Klay Thompson’s first 12 NBA games, he reached double figures just three times; he scored zero points on two different occasions, with four or fewer points on seven different occasions.

    Fast-forward to the end of the year and everything was different. Thompson ended the year, scoring in double figures in 30 of his last 31 games, which included a streak of 14 straight games to close out the year; he scored 23 or more points in six of those 14.

    Game experience matters.

    For Booker, the end result may not be the same, but the important thing is that the Suns learn from the past. Archie Goodwin may still develop into a really nice pro, but I think it’s fair to say he’s not as far along as he might have been should the circumstances have been different. Certainly he’s not as happy, and that’s something the Suns need to rectify moving forward.

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