Three reasons non-Phoenix Suns fans (Bill Simmons) are wrong about Devin Booker
By Adam Maynes
Even LeBron James wouldn’t have done it
So many people have complained that if Devin Booker was that good, he would have willed or even dragged the Phoenix Suns to the playoffs.
Let’s play a little thought experiment here: name one star player who if placed on the roster that Devin Booker has had to play on for the last four seasons, would have dragged the Phoenix Suns to the playoffs.
I’ll wait.
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Be honest with yourself: place LeBron James on a roster that had Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss, Josh Jackson, Tyler Johnson, and Elie Okobo starting games, and tell me that if he couldn’t drag Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Brandon Ingram, Michael Beasley, Kyle Kuzma, and Lonzo Ball to the playoffs, that he would somehow have been able to do it in Phoenix.
LeBron gets his fair share of criticism (and I will be honest that I willfully heap it on him by the shovel-full), but between he and Booker, guess who averaged more points last season?
And rebounds?
And assists?
And steals?
And FG%?
And 3pt%?
Soooooooo…Why isn’t LeBron playing in the FIBA tournament – and why didn’t Bill Simmons call out the greatest player in the league at the moment for not being on the roster?
For all the hate that Devin Booker has taken over the last couple of seasons for putting up great stats on a losing team, LeBron James proved last year that one great player (and he is better than Devin Booker at the moment although Book is obviously no statistical pushover) isn’t always enough to carry one team to the playoffs.
And again, tell the truth now: even you would have taken the 2018-19 L.A. Lakers over the same Phoenix Suns including a Book for LeBron swap.