Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker: 3 keys he must bring to postseason

Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker is one of the NBA’s elite scorers. But, the Suns will need more from the two-time All-Star.

Booker has been an impressive scorer this season, better yet, for a winning team. However, he will need to take it to a new level come playoff time.

What will the Phoenix Suns need from Devin Booker this postseason?

The Western Conference is stacked. Whether it is the defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets and more; these teams will be tough matchups for the Suns.

While the Suns have players who bring playoff experience with the likes of Chris Paul and Jae Crowder, Booker has never made the playoffs. Here listed, are the three pieces that Booker must bring to the playoffs.

Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker “must” No. 1: Assert his aggressiveness in the right way

Booker will need to be aggressive during the playoffs, but at the right time and in the right way.

Take for example his game against the Jazz Wednesday night. The shooting guard started one for six from the field and had five turnovers. Booker then burst into the second quarter, hitting all four of his shots and four free throws.

There was a remarkable difference in Booker’s game in the second quarter. The team’s leading scorer did not attempt a 3-pointer in the second quarter and attacked the paint.

For the Suns to be successful, they will need Booker to attack the paint to open the game up for himself and his teammates. He gets to the free-throw line for a league’s 18th best; an ability of Booker’s that will need to be used to keep the Suns in contention.

As Booker finds his way to the rim more, his impeccable mid-range game will open up. Not to mention, Booker is quite an underrated playmaker; attacking the paint will drag the defense to him. While this will free his teammates up, it will make the defense unorganized which will lead to the amazing ball movement from the Phoenix Suns to generate easy baskets.

Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker “must” No. 2: Matching the opposing team’s scorer down the stretch

Whether it will be up against LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard and Donavan Mitchell, along with a long list of incredible scorers. Booker will need to keep up with their scoring.

Many watched Mitchell and Jamal Murray match each other, bucket for bucket in the first round of the playoffs last year. Booker will need the ability to keep pace with the opposing team’s best scorer.

While Chris Paul and his go-to midrange jump shot will help relieve Booker’s scoring load, Booker will be asked to do the majority of the scoring down the stretch. It is a must that Booker can go toe-to-toe against the league’s best scorers.

Superstars win championships. If Booker cannot compete, the Suns will look naked on offense. Even though the Suns may have a fluid offense with great ball movement, this will change down the stretch of playoff games.

The game slows down and big shots need to be made. Look for Paul to get Booker into the right spot to hit shots.

Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker “must” No. 3. A better Booker

The Phoenix Suns need to see a better Booker.

Sounds crazy, right? But the Suns’ competition will be too overwhelming if Booker cannot perform at the highest level. Averaging almost 23 points per game throughout his career and a career-high of 26.6 in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, he will need to score at a higher volume.

Booker will likely need to average at least 28 points throughout the playoffs to have a chance. If Booker can prove to be a high-volume scorer in the playoffs, the Suns have a chance against anyone.

But the scoring will have to be timely, consistent and at a high volume.

Although I have concerns about Booker’s lack of playoff experience, I feel a player of his caliber will thrive in the playoffs. Do not forget he has Paul alongside him to guide him.