Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker is unique among top NBA scorers

On a list of the NBA’s top scorers, Devin Booker stands out in a few different ways. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t belong on the list.

Last season, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker finished tenth in the league in scoring. Taking a look at the top 20 scorers by points per game last season, Booker is extremely unique among them.

Here are the 20 guys, ranked by points per game:

1. James Harden (30.4)
2. Anthony Davis (28.1)
3. LeBron James (27.5)
4. Damian Lillard (26.9)
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo (26.9)
6. Stephen Curry (26.4)
7. Kevin Durant (26.4)
8. Russell Westbrook (25.4)
9. DeMarcus Cousins (25.2)
10. Devin Booker (24.9)
11. Kyrie Irving (24.4)
12. LaMarcus Aldridge (23.1)
13. Victor Oladipo (23.1)
14. DeMar DeRozan (23.0)
15. Joel Embiid (22.9)
16. Kristaps Porzingis (22.7)
17. Bradley Beal (22.6)
18. Lou Williams (22.6)
19. Jimmy Butler (22.2)
20. Kemba Walker (22.1)

Of these 20 guys, 18 of them were All-Stars. The two that weren’t: Lou Williams and Devin Booker. Williams was named Sixth Man of the Year, making Booker the only one of the 20 that didn’t receive league-wide recognition.

Booker also stands out significantly when it comes to plus minus. The leader of the 20 was Steph Curry, sporting a +9.5. 19th among them was Kristaps Porzingis with a +0.3. Devin Booker was last with a -6.6. That part is pretty incredible. Every other top 20 scorer’s team outscored the other team when they were on the court. Even with Booker, the Suns were awful.

Of the group, Booker is also the youngest. He’s still just 21, only one year younger than Porzingis but much younger than the average top scorer. He truly is unique to the list.

That seems to be the biggest reason people often think he doesn’t belong on this list. That his scoring is empty. That he can’t be a top scorer on a top team. But that’s not the right way to look at the situation.

Instead, Booker is unique in a good way. Booker is younger then any other top scorer in the league. The fact that he’s top ten in scoring age 21 is incredible.

Sure, his plus minus is ugly. But the fact he can put up these numbers on such a bad Phoenix Suns team is impressive. He’s not a 15 point guy stretched to 20 because his team isn’t good. He’s a truly elite scorer without any talent around him and still putting up 24.9 points on 19.5 shots.

And he may not be getting recognition, but that’s a combination of youth, a bad team, and a conference loaded with All-Stars. There’s no doubt Booker is better than some of the Eastern conference players to get that honor.

Any notion that Booker isn’t a true top scorer just because he’s different from the group is misguided. He’s not 19 or 20 on this list. He’s ten. Right in the middle. He may be unique for now, but he certainly belongs, and he’s only getting better. The Phoenix Suns are lucky to have him.