Phoenix Suns: How does Devin Booker compare to the best guards in the NBA?

Booker’s Areas for Improvement

Ultimately, from an offensive perspective, Booker is as good as the lot, with the potential to be better than some of the group given his sweet stroke, youth, and efficiency. However, the areas that he falls short are what separates him from superstardom and are where he needs to grow.

While Booker’s assists are there, his influence on the defensive end is lagging. Whereas Jordan was first regardless of perspective with nearly three steals per game, Booker was last both ways with less than one.

Whereas Jordan was first both ways with nearly two OFFENSIVE rebounds per game, Booker was last at less than one-half board per game.

And finally, while Jordan was not first, Booker was last in turnovers at nearly four per game. In his defense, none of these players are under three per game, but he was still last in the group.

These categories are especially important, as they relate to things like shot attempts and winning basketball games. Steals, especially from guards, pretty much always lead to an easy two points. If Booker could go from less than one to 1.5 steals per game, that is one more shot and two more points each game, not to mention one less possession for the other team.

While guards are not expected to crash the boards, do you think Jordan took those rebounds and kicked them back out to Steve Kerr? No, those rebounds became put-backs, easy buckets, or also led to trips to the free-throw line.

Finally, with the turnovers, well let’s face it. If you lose the turnover battle in just about any sport, you lose the game and while Booker’s assist-to-turnover ratio is positive, we can all agree there are times Booker is just a little too out of control and careless with the rock. One less turnover per game, means one more assist or one more shot attempt, either of which the Suns will take.