Devin Booker is the ultimate chameleon.
Almost on a yearly basis, the Phoenix Suns star evolves his play style to fit the roster and coach.
Three games into this season under Mike Budenholzer and with two new point guards in the Valley, Booker once again is changing it up. So far, those adjustments have looked like a slow start.
Booker is averaging just 19.7 points per game on 43 percent shooting while assisting on fewer shots than he has in years and turning the ball over far too often. Still, the Suns are 2-1 and look good.
On today’s episode, we break down Booker’s start and what to take from it. Booker is scoring more in transition and less in the pick and roll so far, and clearly is behind Kevin Durant in the offensive pecking order. At the same time, he is taking more 3s and fewer mid-range shots. Yet a lot of what Booker is going through could likely be solved simply by his own aggressiveness.
Budenholzer’s system uses early offense to get mismatches or make the defense think, before the actual set unfolds. Right now, Durant is used in a lot of the first actions before Booker and Beal are asked to work in tighter windows later in the clock. That puts Booker in situations unlike anything he really has run before.
He’s back coming off screens the way he did next to Chris Paul, but with no lob threat following him into the paint to split the defense. Often, a fellow guard or wing is screening for Booker, with the big man already down low. Budenholzer prefers to station a big man in the “dunker spot,” lurking along the baseline to grab offensive rebounds and be a release valve for drivers. That has value, especially for a Suns team that got beaten too often on the offensive glass last season and doesn’t have a ton of terrific finishers. But for Booker, that means another body between him and the basket as well as a little more congestion than he might be used to digging in from the perimeter to swipe at him.
There’s a difference between worrying about Booker and seeing what he’s seeing. Booker will be fine. He will adjust as he always has. But it might take a minute to get used to things.
Check out today’s episode for a more in-depth take on Booker’s start to the season.
