My Mind’s on Devin Booker, and Devin Booker’s on My Mind

Apr 1, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) shoots a basket during the second half in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. The Trail Blazers won 130-117. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

Already an All-Time Great Suns Scoring Season

With a scoring average of 35.3 points over his last six games (and 27.1 over the last calendar month) Devin Booker has wrestled sole possession of the team’s scoring lead from the idle Eric Bledsoe, raising his average to his current 22.0 per game.

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The last Sun to average at least 22.0 points per game on a season is Amar’e Stoudemire in 2009-10 when he averaged 23.1. The last guard to average at least 22 points per game was Stephon Marbury in 2002-03 with 22.3.

Unfortunately with four games left the current Suns star has but a scant opportunity to move past either in scoring average per game, with Stephon Marbury as the most plausible. To average 22.4 points per game and just slip by Marbury, Booker would need to average 30.65 points to finish the season. Amar’e’s 23.1 is all but impossible at this point to cross, but for the sake of argument, Booker would need to score 186 points at an average of 46.45 to pass STAT to average 23.2.

Booker’s 22.0 points per game (should it stay there for the rest of the season) is impressive nonetheless as it stands as one of the top scoring seasons by a guard in franchise history. Ranked as the 11th highest scoring single season average for a Phoenix Suns guard all-time, Booker has already entered his name into the conversation that includes many of the franchise’s all-time greats:

1. Paul Westphal 77-78 25.4

2. Charlie Scott 73-74 25.4

T-2. Charlie Scott 72-73 25.3

4. Charlie Scott 74-75 24.3

5. Paul Westphal 78-79 24.0

6. Gail Goodrich 68-69 23.8

7. Walter Davis 86-87 23.6

8. Kevin Johnson 89-90 22.5

9. Stephon Marbury 02-03 22.3

10. Kevin Johnson 90-91 22.2

11. Devin Booker 16-17 22.0

It would be difficult for Booker to leapfrog anoyone on the list and move up, but to tie Marbury and pass Kevin Johnson for 10th all-time, Booker would need only to average 28.68 the rest of the way, only 1.5 points more per game than he’s averaged in the last month.

All of this which further expands the impressive magnificence of what should have been Devin Booker’s Junior year at Kentucky.