The Case for Booker
At some points this season, it looked like Booker wouldn’t meet the newly instituted minimum games threshold of 65 that qualifies a player for postseason awards. He dealt with numerous injuries early on in the year, but played the final 16 games of the season to finish at 68. In the process, Booker turned in one of his best seasons, averaging a triple slash line of 27.1/4.5/6.9 on 61% TS.
That assist number was a career high, as the Suns point guard by committee approach put extra playmaking responsibility on his shoulders.
Guys like Devin Booker are so unbelievably skilled
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) May 8, 2024
Young players should watch players like him workout and see the level of mastery they have on their craft
Only way to do this is thousands of hours grinding in the lab
(Via @jnglert 🎥) pic.twitter.com/OOYNWulRjx
The highlight of Booker’s season was when he won the Player of the Month award for January, averaging 30 ppg on 64% TS. That month was punctuated by 52 and 62 point outings, the latter of which gave him yet another arena scoring record, this time in Indiana.
That doesn’t mean it was a perfect season from Booker. He took a noticeable step back on defense, likely because of the added offensive responsibility. There were also more highs and lows than in previous years when his performance was more consistent throughout.
And even though he qualified for All-NBA consideration, 68 games is still 5+ games behind most of the players he’s competing with. For all of those reasons, he likely won’t make the second team, but should absolutely be a lock for the third team.
This year may not have ended in triumph for the Suns as a team, but Durant and Booker more than held up their end of the bargain during the regular season. They should both add another All-NBA team to their resumes in recognition of those performances.