Devin Booker’s All-Time Scoring Run Is Keeping The Phoenix Suns Alive

Forbes Business SportsMoney Devin Booker’s All-Time Scoring Run Is Keeping The Phoenix Suns Alive Shane Young Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I write about the NBA, primarily through the lens of X’s and O’s. Following May 7, 2023, 02:25pm EDT | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin PHOENIX, ARIZONA – MAY 05: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball against Jamal Murray .

. . [+] #27 of the Denver Nuggets during the first half of Game Three of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals at Footprint Center on May 05, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona.

NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) Getty Images When the stakes are through the roof and there’s a lack of offensive help on the floor, Devin Booker rises to the occasion. Not only is he making up for the 3-of-14 shooting display in Game 7 of last year’s second-round series against Dallas, but he’s rivaling all-time greats with his combination of usage and efficiency to begin this postseason.

In the context of a playoff series, the pressure doesn’t get more intense than a must-win Game 3, in front of your home crowd, after a team thoroughly outplayed you in the first two outings. At that point, losing is not an option — particularly for scoring legends that pride themselves in responding to adversity. The Suns will have plenty of opportunities over the next few seasons to win a title with Booker locked up under a supermax contract until 2028.

Everyone around the Suns knows this is not exactly a make-or-break year. With the Kevin Durant trade happening just three months ago and a new owner trying to reshape the identity of the franchise, there isn’t overwhelming pressure to win the title in 2023. They still have Durant under contract for three more (guaranteed) seasons.

And while difficult decisions are ahead with Chris Paul aging, Phoenix would be an attractive destination for cheap free agents looking to supplement Booker and Durant for a deep playoff run. So the internal pressure to win now isn’t quite as high as some think. But externally, there was absolutely an expectation Phoenix would be a conference finals team or better.

And if you saw any professional athlete playing at the level Booker has been for the last few weeks, you would think everything is on the line. As the historic performances and out-of-body experiences continue to pile up, it’s evident Booker is the NBA’s most impressive star at the near-halfway mark of the 2023 playoffs. MORE FOR YOU WWE Backlash 2023 Results: Winners And Grades From San Juan Puerto Rico WWE Backlash 2023 Results: Cody Rhodes Bloodies And Beats Brock Lesnar WWE Backlash 2023 Results: Bad Bunny Beats Damian Priest In Star-Studded Street Fight He lives for these moments.

As JJ Redick once called CP3 a “sicko” for how much he studies basketball and opponents’ tendencies, Booker is a different form of sicko. He’s the type of competitor that openly says how fun it is to trail 2-0 in a playoff series, realizing the amount of pressure attached to that scenario. Immediately after the Suns dropped Game 2 by only scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter, Booker sat down in front of the media and had to address the team’s confidence in that moment.

Down 0-2, knowing Phoenix has to win four out of five games to advance, he remained as calm and collected as ever. His message to the team was simple and straight-forward. Enjoy the challenge ahead.

“I just love playoff basketball,” he said. “That’s the first thing I said when I got into the locker room. You just have to love this s*** and embrace it.

There’s not many people that get a chance to do what we’re doing, to play at the highest level of basketball. So just compete at the highest level and don’t forget to have fun with it. Get after it, every time we get a chance.

” He certainly is having fun every step of the way. When he was in the zone on Friday night, drilling turnaround fadeaways (through contact) and asserting his will in the mid-post, he would offer the crowd a smirk after every play. Of course, that was in between a few death stares at the refs for not giving him the benefit of a whistle — on some occasions, he was on the ground watching his shot fall in the basket after absorbing contact, dumbfounded by the officiating.

In Friday’s Game 3, Booker became the second player in NBA playoff history to score 45-plus points while shooting 80% or better from the field. He joined Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 48 points on 15 shot attempts in Western Conference Finals battle with OKC during the Mavericks’ special 2011 championship run. Booker and Nowitzki’s individual performances, while yielding similar scoring totals, couldn’t have been more different.

Booker’s 47 points came on 25 attempts with zero shooting fouls called in his 42 minutes of action — the only time he got to the foul line was at the end of regulation when Denver was intentionally hacking to extend the game. Nowitzki, however, earned 24 free throw attempts in that 48-point masterpiece 12 years ago, knocking down all of them. Nowitzki was at the tail end of his prime at nearly 33 years old, while Booker (26) is yet to enter his prime by typical NBA standards.

If you ask his running mate, these abilities have always been present. “I don’t understand why this is a surprise to anybody,” Durant said about Booker’s Game 3. “He’s been doing this since day one.

They might not have been playoff wins, but he’s been showing his skills since his rookie year. A lot of people overlooked that and then see him go for 45 and think it’s something new. No, he’s always been on this type of time.

We got to continue feeding the hot hand, but he’s making good plays – three turnovers, nine assists. ” Although Durant is right that Booker’s scoring acumen shouldn’t be a huge shock, it’s the degree to which he’s doing it — and how tough the contested shotmaking is — that’s stunning the basketball world. Booker has already scored 295 points to begin the playoffs, which ties Wilt Chamberlain for the fifth-highest scoring production in the first eight games of any postseason run.

The last time we saw something crazier than this was 33 years ago, when Michael Jordan averaged 40. 6 points in Chicago’s first eight games: You can take it a step further to examine his playoff production and efficiency in these first eight games compared to some of the league’s historical greats. Before this year, there were only two players in NBA history to have an eight-game span averaging at least 36 points, five rebounds, and six assists on north of 60% true shooting during the playoffs.

They happened to be Michael Jordan and LeBron James. That’s it . No big deal, just the two greatest players to ever touch a basketball.

Booker has joined LeBron and MJ on that list, averaging a stat line that looks to be straight out of a video game. By posting 36. 9 points, 5.

0 rebounds, and 6. 9 assists to begin the postseason, he’s keeping the Suns alive and giving them a puncher’s chance against a deeper Nuggets team with more continuity. For the Suns, there’s a severe lack of shot creation and dynamic scoring ability off the bench.

Remove Chris Paul from the equation, as he’s nursing a groin strain that will also keep him out of Game 4, and you’re down to just Booker and Durant for a lot of the halfcourt magic that you need in a tense playoff environment. CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 01: Kevin Durant #35 celebrates with Devin Booker #1 of the . .

. [+] Phoenix Suns in the fourth quarter during their game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on March 01, 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.

(Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) Getty Images In Game 2, Phoenix only mustered four (!) total bench points as the reserves shot a combined 2-of-16 from the floor. It forced Monty Williams to push Booker’s minutes up to 45 and they were still outscored by seven points during that time. They did receive a monumental boost in Game 3, with Williams trusting his role players at home and extending 26 minutes to TJ Warren, who didn’t play at all in the first two road games.

Terrence Ross was able to get more of a leash in Game 3 as well, primarily because the Suns needed better spacing around Booker and Durant. Williams tinkered with his rotations in a do-or-die Game 3, knowing that no team has ever rallied from a 3-0 playoff deficit. He completely went away from Damion Lee after the veteran guard failed to knock down wide-open shots in Denver, and he even benched Deandre Ayton when it was clear that backup Jock Landale would provide them with more force, physicality, and defensive awareness.

Even with the increased contributions off the bench, Phoenix was still heavily reliant on Booker and Durant. Every time the Nuggets made a run and trimmed the deficit, it would require one of the superstars to put their foot down and answer the bell. With KD significantly under his usual playoff efficiency — 53.

1% true shooting in this series and making just four of his 20 attempts from three — Booker’s superhuman efforts have been required. Just look at the shooting splits from Booker and the rest of the team in this series. They’d be facing serious problems if he’s due for an off night.

Booker is shooting 62. 5% from two and 52. 9% from three against the Nuggets, while the other Suns are shooting 52.

9% from two and 20. 0% from deep: Suns’ scoring production in second round NBA. com “He’s one of the guys that just ignites us from the first possession,” Durant said.

“So I’m sure they might – who knows what they’ll do to guard him next game. ” As Durant was alluding to, we can probably expect the Nuggets to send more blitzes on Booker’s pick & roll possessions. Depending on Michael Malone’s coaching philosophy, Denver can either continue to let Booker cook against single coverage (limiting everyone else) or try to take the ball out of his hands and force others to beat them with jumpers.

I’d anticipate the Nuggets mixing up their coverages and sending more doubles toward Booker . . .

unless that opens the floodgates for Durant to get rolling against a scrambling defense on the weakside. Durant catching the ball with a closeout on the way, or against a team in heavy rotation, is usually a recipe for disaster if you’re the opponent. Game 4 will be a chess match with how the Nuggets choose to respond to Booker’s individual greatness.

Because if he continues this — and the Suns’ role players feed off the confidence they gained in the second half of Game 3 — the momentum of this series might shift. If Booker can help it, he’s not letting the Suns trail 3-1 heading back on the road. With how efficient he’s been up to this point, he won’t leave anything in the chamber if there’s a chance to lift Phoenix to a 2-2 split.

“I’m at a loss for words, just how he approaches the game,” Durant said Friday. “How he’s the leader of this team and this organization, how he brings it every single day. We just follow his imprint.

We rally around him. ” Follow me on Twitter . Shane Young Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.