Five Way Too Early Predictions About the Suns in 2017-18
By Adam Maynes
Devin Booker will average 25 points per game becoming the first Suns guard to average at least 25 since Paul Westphal in 1977-78.
While establishing himself as the franchise’s number one scoring option as a 20-year-old, Devin Booker has not only developed into a big-time scorer, but one capable of taking a game over offensively on any given night, something he will only look to expand upon that this upcoming season.
Averaging 13.8 points his rookie year, his scoring spiked this season to 22.1 per game, the highest points per game average for any Sun since Amar’e Stoudemire’s 23.1 in 2009-10.
However, Book’s overall average was held down because of some early season poor performances, and finished the year with 15 games scoring only 13 points or less, 11 of which came in the first half. If those 15 games were ignored and not counted, his scoring average jumps already to 25.4. Get rid of those clunkers (or at least significantly reduce them) and his average based on volume alone will rise automatically.
Booker also shot only 42.3% from the field (identical to his rookie season) and 36.3% from three (2% higher than his rookie year). Imagine if his shooting percentage, at least from the field in general, rose to around 46%? Not out of the realm of possibility with an off-season of practice and a better offensive strategy to get him more open looks, and a shooting percentage right in the range of the league’s most established scorers, including guards.
Especially if Eric Bledsoe is traded and the Suns do not acquire another high volume shooter, Devin Booker will not only lead the team in scoring most nights, but will also begin to feast on poor defensive teams dropping 30+ and even 40+ points with regularity. Couple those games with closely fought matches where his scoring prowess will be required to pull out the victory, and his scoring average will take another leap from last season to at least 25 points on average per game.