Phoenix Suns Report Card for New Additions

Devin Booker, G, 19 years old

Initial thoughts:

Booker drew multiple comparisons to Warriors Guard Klay Thompson throughout the draft process, which made his selection at 13 look like a massive steal for the Suns. Booker has made his reputation as a lights out deep threat who, if give the opportunity to get hot, can score in bunches.

Sounds eerily similar to a certain Washington State product.

Areas of Strength:

The efficiency, first and foremost, jumps out from the get-go. Booker has only played in three of the Suns five games this year, only scoring in two of those three.

In those three games, Booker has taken 14 total shots.

He’s only missed four.

In 21 minutes against Dallas in the opener, Booker finished the night having converted on six of his seven shot attempts, while knocking down one of his two three-point attempts. He checked-out of his NBA debut having shot 85 percent from the field, and scoring 14 points.

With more minutes, the numbers will start to climb, but for now with the small sample size it looks as though Booker will continue to earn the aforementioned “steal” label.

Areas of Weakness:

This is something out of his control, but until he earns more minutes it’s going to be difficult to accurately gauge what his true weaknesses are. Given the initial numbers, I’m going to choose to save my criticism until it is warranted.

Moving Forward:

Adjusting to life in the NBA is a gradual process; Booker will almost certainly have a few hiccups long the way. However, it is crucial for a player’s progression that he remain poised and confident when things start to get difficult.

Taking into account Booker’s history of high expectations, he might just have what it takes.

Overall Grade:

B – Given the small sample size, it’s hard to rate Booker any higher or lower. The initial numbers look great, but again, it’s a long season.

Next: Mirza Teletović