Remember what you said at this moment and keep that work ethic.”Īt the McDonald’s All-American Game in high school, West coach Frank Allocco picked up on Booker’s intensity within a couple days. Developmental coach Jason Fraser heard this and approached the rookie. Booker? “I’m going to go put up some shots,” he said. In the locker room, Suns players discussed their evening plans. He had played 26 minutes off the bench, scoring 12 points but missing all four of his 3-point attempts. ![]() After his first Summer League game in Las Vegas, Booker, then 18, dressed slowly in a Cox Pavilion locker room. Swish.īooker let his teammates know his intentions right away upon joining the Suns. In one quick motion, the rookie set his feet and fired, fading slightly. Tucker lost his balance but managed to get the ball to Booker. Booker, on the right wing, broke for the corner. Knight initiated the offense and passed left to forward P.J. Starting for the 12th time, the youngest player in the NBA had become Phoenix’s go-to option. To open the game, Hornacek drew up a play for Booker. Four days later, he had 17 and 10 rebounds in a win over Charlotte.īut that January night against the Pacers was different. 2, he had a season-high 21 points in loss at Sacramento. “He was more advanced than I thought he was.”Īfter a slow start to his rookie season while stuck behind guards Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, Booker showed his versatility. “I thought there was going to be a lot of teaching of screen-roll, a lot of footwork stuff because basically all you saw on tape was catch-and-shoot - but Devin had all that stuff,” MacLean said. But during his first workout with MacLean, in a drill called “25”, the 6-foot-11 center hit 20 of 25 jumpers from NBA 3-point distance. The first thing MacLean realized, not only with Booker but also with teammate Karl-Anthony Towns, is that the Kentucky players had been so committed to their college roles, the film didn’t tell the complete story.Īt Kentucky, Towns had been anchored to the post. Leading up to the draft, Booker had worked out in Southern California with Don MacLean, a former UCLA star and NBA forward. When ball is in his hands be alert for a shot From a February scouting report by Eric Musselman, then an assistant coach at LSU: During his one season at Kentucky, the Wildcats had been so loaded with talent that Booker was reduced to a sixth-man role, a catch-and-shoot specialist. “There was no question who we were taking,” McDonough said.īooker was considered the best shooter in the draft, but his complete game was mostly unknown. They had gotten offers to trade back, but once Utah selected Kentucky forward Trey Lyles at 12, the pick was clear. Looking back, he said the organization had liked nine or 10 players. Then-general manager Ryan McDonough didn’t see it that way. In other words, nobody get your hopes up. 13 to select a high school player named Kobe Bryant. On the eve of the 2015 NBA Draft, the Phoenix newspaper had published a story under the headline, “Suns’ draft spot rarely produces elite players.” The story’s backbone: The draft had not produced an All-Star player selected with a pick in the low teens since 1996, when the Lakers traded up to No. The season’s lone bright spot was Booker, and this was a surprise. Coach Jeff Hornacek would be fired in two weeks. ![]() 19, they entered a home game against the Indiana Pacers at 13-29, buried deep in the heavyweight Western Conference. In the winter of 2016, the Suns’ season was already lost. A look back at his rookie season, one game in particular, reflects how his makeup has prepared him for this stage. ![]() This is the next test for Booker, but he has a strong foundation. Over the next few weeks, for however long Phoenix survives, the franchise’s hopes will largely ride on the 24-year-old’s confidence and shooting touch. As the Suns prepare to meet the Lakers in the NBA playoffs, Booker is a two-time All-Star guard and one of the game’s top scorers. Some laughed, but six years later, no one doubts him. ![]() “I can score at all three levels,” he said. With confidence bordering on arrogance, Booker couldn’t let this slide. “Archie, you’re a better driver, but Book is a better shooter,” he said, according to someone who was there.
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