Devin Booker Showcased Improved Game Against Clippers

The Phoenix Suns are coming off an offseason filled with uncertainty, but star guard Devin Booker is keeping his eyes firmly on the goal.

Booker has been off to a hot start this season after dropping 28 and 33 points against the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers respectively, and while NBA fans are always happy to see him put up big numbers, many believe that he still needs to improve as a facilitator.

In their recent 112-95 win against the Los Angeles Clippers, “Point Book” was in full effect as he took over the game right from tip-off, leading the Suns to an 11-0 lead that the Clippers were not able to come back from.

Whether he was scoring off of midrange pull-ups, catch-and-shoot threes, or driving into the paint for an and-1 opportunity, Booker was doing it all for the Suns and ended up with a season-high 35 points, one rebound, four assists, and a steal to just three turnovers.

Since becoming head boy of the Suns, limiting his turnovers as the facilitator of the offense has been Booker’s biggest and, arguably, most important pain point to address.

Booker putting up high turnover numbers during their 2021 Finals matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks, including six in the all-important Game 6, helped shrink their chances of taking home the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Another aspect of his game that showed how much he still has to improve on is efficiency from three.

While Booker is a career 45.7 field goal shooter, his three-point shooting leaves a lot to be desired and his game against the Clippers showcased an improving stroke after making five out of his nine attempts.

The Suns’ pass-happy offense will almost always ensure that a guard will dictate the flow of the offense and though he is fully aware that he can put up 40 points on any given night, taking on the role of Chris Paul when he is not on the floor is a great way for Booker to become an all-around threat.

His assist numbers would have gone higher had their shooters made open baskets or the wings and bigs been a bit more selfish after catching his passes, but the Suns’ success in recent years has always been predicated on moving the ball for the best shot possible and it showed during the Clippers game.

More games of having “Point Book” on the floor are going to take off a load of pressure on the shoulders of Paul, especially during close games which will likely open up even more easy shots for the 37-year-old veteran.

It would not be much of a surprise to see Booker being in the MVP conversation when this season is all said and done if he continues having games like last night while also keeping his team in contention for a deep playoff run in June.