Three Phoenix Suns franchise-records Devin Booker can break this season
By Adam Maynes
How Could Devin Booker break those two records
Devin Booker enters the final 27 games of the regular season with 1,374 total points, averaging 26.4 points per game – a solid 827 points away from the total scoring record, and 0.8 points per game away from the per-game average.
He can break the per-game record without breaking the total points record, but he cannot break the total points record without breaking the scoring-average record.
To break the total scoring record, Booker needs to score 827 more points (presuming he plays in all 27 games), by averaging 30.6 points per game, a jump of 4.2 points per over what he has averaged to date.
While that might seem pretty difficult, the likely key to doing so would be by amping up his 3-point shot attempts (and makes) per game, an area of his game which he has turned away from somewhat thus far in favor of drives to the lane where he might get fouled.
Booker is averaging only 1.9 makes per game from beyond the arc on 5.4 attempts per game, both the lowest he has averaged since 2016-17 – his second season in the league.
However he does it though, if he did average the necessary 30.6 points per game, then he’d also average 27.9 points per game on the year – also the franchise-record.
Should Booker miss any games, it become more and more difficult to break the total points record:
Missed one game: 31.8ppg in games played/28.2 season-average
Missed two games: 33.1ppg in games played/28.6 season-average
Missed three games: 34.5ppg in games played/29.0 season-average
Missed four games: 35.9ppg in games played/29.4 season-average
Missed five games: 37.6ppg in games played/29.8 season-average
As noted before, Booker does not have to break Chambers’ total points record to break the season-scoring average though.
In fact, to just skirt by, he doesn’t have to come anywhere near breaking the total points record.
Currently averaging 26.4 points per game, he has to only average less than a point more per game than he has been to date to pull off that particular feat.
If he plays in all 27 games, Booker would have to score a total of 2,147 points on the year to officially break the season-average record, putting him literally a hair above the old record at 27.177 point per game, .005 above TC.
The league might actually count that as a “tie” because the break doesn’t come until the thousandths, but hopefully Book doesn’t just stop at 2,147 points.
In that case, Book would score 773 total points, averaging 28.6 points per game over the final 27 games.
Again though, if he misses any games, it becomes a bit tougher sledding to get to the per-game record:
Missed one: 2,120 total points at 28.7 points per game over final 26
Missed two: 2,093 total points at 28.8 points per game over final 25
Missed three: 2,066 total points at 28.8 points per game over the final 24
Missed four: 2,039 total points at 28.9 points per game over the final 23
Missed five: 2,011 total points at 29.0 points per game over the final 22