Phoenix Suns: 3 Ways For Devin Booker to Bounce Back in Game 4

As controversial as the move was, Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams was justified to sit Devin Booker out in the closing moments of Game 3. Booker simply did not have the same level of energy in the contest as he had shown throughout the postseason so far. Most of his shots fell short, his footwork was not precise, and he rarely moved without the ball. Once the game got out of reach, Williams was smart to keep Booker tied to the bench.

Having an off-night is nothing new for key players on the Suns. Chris Paul looked rusty during Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Clippers, having missed the previous two games. Deandre Ayton struggled on offense in Game 2 during that same series, just days after joining the Wilt/Russell/Kareem holy trinity of big men in Game 1, as the only players to score over 20 points and grab over 15 rebounds in an NBA Finals game. 

Like Ayton and Paul before him, Booker had a humbling experience in Game 3, only scoring 10 points. His bad game individually just so happened to coincide with a bad game Phoenix as a team, so his poor performance was that much more glaring. Even after the game, Booker seemed to understand the bigger picture though: the team’s success is far more important than his own individual numbers.

However, the Suns need Booker to be great if they hope to win their first ever NBA championship. Booker must not forget why he wants to be great either. This is the moment he has waited for for his entire life, and he is just two games away from cashing in on it.

But will Booker let anyone else take it away from him?

He knows he has to score at least 25 points per game for the Suns to win. Milwaukee is not going to make it easy for him though, sticking tight to him no matter where he goes on the court.

Their three starting perimeter players are all tough matchups. Khris Middleton has the length to bother Booker’s jump shot, PJ Tucker has great experience and the strength, and Jrue Holiday has the quickness and astute instincts to stay in front of him.

Booker is not going to get the same easy looks, and put up the same numbers as he did during this series’s first two games as we move forward. After his 3-point barrage in Game 2, the Bucks are not going to leave him open under any circumstances. But even with that said, here are three ways for Booker still find a way to hurt Milwaukee, and pull off a bounce-back game for the ages.

Phoenix Suns Ways to Revamp Devin Booker: Rewatch his 70-point Game

Suns coach Monty Williams is a master motivator, most recently illustrated during his efforts to help encourage Deandre Ayton to close out Game 2 in a strong manner. Recalling the contest, Williams understood that Ayton was struggling on offense, and that his frustration was starting to boil over due to it. He knew about Ayton’s tendency to hold himself to an incredibly high standard, so he urged Ayton to get back into the game, and start playing with force. The former Arizona Wildcat responded perfectly, dominating down the stretch and securing a Game 2 victory for the Suns.

For Booker, Coach Williams has not had to spend much time motivating him. As he explained after Game 2 in a USA Today article, Booker does not like it when Williams asks him if he is tired. He seems to have the same killer instinct as the late, great Kobe Bryant, putting it on display even during his career’s early stages when he produced a 70-point game over four years ago. In this effort, he made an ultimate statement to the NBA that a new superstar was born.

The 70-point game was my all-time favorite Devin Booker moment! But what stood out to me, however, was how Booker gave credit to his teammates for getting him the ball, per an ESPN article recapping the game. 

"“I was ultra-aggressive. My teammates started finding me, they started setting really good screens for me, and the rest is history.”"

Showing Booker’s 70-point game prior to Game 4 would not necessarily be intended to motivate Booker himself. Ironically, it might instead motivate Jae Crowder to step up on defense against Giannis Antetokounmpo because Booker got some of those 70-points at his expense.Rather, it would once again remind the Suns of Booker’s offensive brilliance. His teammates will watch this video and look to set strong screens for Booker.

However, it is not just the players who should look to get Booker open. Coach Williams, renowned for his brilliant offensive plays, needs to go deep into his bag of tricks to get Booker solid looks as well.

Phoenix Suns Ways to Revamp Devin Booker: Run Past Suns Plays for Booker

The Suns must find a way to get Booker the ball by any means necessary. With PJ Tucker aggressively denying him the rock though, Booker is having trouble getting to his spots. Tucker is pushing, grabbing, and fouling Booker seemingly every time down the floor, as is expected given his reputation as a physical defender.

But the Suns can help free Booker up from Tucker’s defense. To get Booker the ball in a timely manner, Phoenix should set multiple screens from several different angles to shake Tucker off him.

The best way to deal with an overtly physical defender such as Tucker is to make him move as much as possible. It makes things visibly more difficult for Tucker to get away with grabbing and pushing Booker if he has to navigate through screens and chase him down.

These two sets from past Phoenix Suns coaching staffs illustrate how to get Booker open perfectly. Yes, these clips are from the 2017-18 season, back in the days of Jared Dudley and Tyler Ulis, but they still hold relevance.

The “Thumb Up” Play:

This set was popular with former Portland Trailblazers head coach Terry Stotts. Stotts often ran this for Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum during his time coaching for Portland. Former Suns coach Earl Watson occasionally ran this set to get Booker to his spot when defenders tried to deny him the ball.

Coach Watson designed that play to get Booker in the post. It will likely more difficult for Booker to post up Tucker in the same manner he did against Eric Gordon. However, the flare screen can be set similarly to give Booker a head of steam to then take Tucker off the dribble.

Also, I would use Mikal Bridges as the guy to set the flare screen for Booker because he is an excellent off-ball cutter. Bridges’s ability to cut to the basket at just the right time means he would be a constant threat to slip the screen and score, which gives Milwaukee’s defense one extra thing to worry about as they defend the play.

Closing the “Gate” for Booker:

This is a classic play to get a team’s best shooter open for a 3-pointer. Coach Williams would be wise to take yet another page out of Coach Watson’s playbook here, and get Booker an open look early in the game.

Milwaukee will eventually figure out how to stop this play, but Booker will get wide open 3-pointers until they do. He can come off this double-screen and either shoot the ball, or take it to the basket. Both are viable options.

Former Phoenix coaches have run effective plays to get Booker open in the past. But what about general managers? Former Suns GM Steve Kerr has been the head coach for the Golden State Warriors for the past several years, winning three championships thanks to the incredible shooting acumen of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Coach Kerr uses screens and misdirection to get Curry and Thompson open looks all the time.

Here is one of his go-to plays to get his shooters open.

Steve Kerr’s screen-the-screener action, explained: 

Coming out of college, an article on NBA.com projected Booker as the next Klay Thompson. Why not let Booker live up to his pre-draft projection by running the exact same play Kerr uses to get Thompson open triples with?

I love the idea of using misdirection to get Booker open! Milwaukee’s defense is going to have trouble switching on all those screens, as we saw in Game 1. I would run this play as soon as Booker enters the game midway through the fourth quarter to break apart Tucker down the stretch. The more off-ball movement for Booker, the better looks he will get on offense.

Phoenix Suns Ways to Revamp Devin Booker: Start Him at Point Guard and Move Chris Paul to Shooting Guard

Moving Chris Paul, the Point God himself, to shooting guard? That’s basketball blasphemy! But as crazy as it sounds, Booker taking the place of Paul at the point guard spot will unlock some new avenues for a Suns offense that became stagnant quite often in Game 3.

Holiday has settled in on pressuring CP3, while Tucker has aggressively denied Booker the ball. The Suns need to do something differently to disrupt Milwaukee’s defensive prowess.

As the point guard, Booker could look to attack immediately with the rock in his hands, quickly putting Tucker in foul trouble. Tucker does not have the foot speed to stay in front of Booker when he attacks downhill.

Holiday is an amazing on-ball defender, but his 6’3 stature does not provide him much rim protection as a help defender. He might also struggle to help defend a cutting Paul following Booker’s drives. The same goes for every other Milwaukee defender.

Eventually, the Bucks will have to take Tucker off Booker and put either Holiday or Middleton on him. When that happens, it becomes business as usual: Paul takes over the offense while the other Suns set screens for him. Coach Williams can also run one of the plays listed above to get him an open look if the half-court offense runs into a drought.

But yes, making Booker the point guard will be the right move for the Suns offense to start the game. It will immediately get him into a solid offensive rhythm while throwing Milwaukee’s defense completely off-balance. If Booker can get to the free-throw line early and often, that too will be the catalyst to another monster night.

Conclusion:

Ultimately, Devin Booker must make a statement in Game 4. His teammates and his coaches can help him, but he has to be the one to make it happen for the Suns. His performance will likely decide whether or not the Phoenix Suns leave Milwaukee with a 3-1 series lead, or new life with things tied up 2-2.