Breaking Down Devin Booker’s Mascot-Induced Brilliance
Since his encounter with a red dinosaur, Devin Booker has been dominating. The Suns have won 11 straight games. Here’s how they’re doing it.
On January 11th, 2022, Devin Booker became a meme. The empty Scotia Bank arena was eerily quiet as Booker tried to ice the game at the line. Up by one with 6.5 seconds left, Booker didn’t have to deal with rabid fans begging for a miss. Instead, there was a red dinosaur.
After making the first free-throw to push the lead to two, Booker said something to the ref. He gestured to behind the basket. He was unhappy that the mascot, the lone cheerleader in attendance, was trying to distract him. The referee promptly barked at the Raptor, sending him to the corner.
That meme spurred profile picture changes, inflatable dinosaurs on the road, and a stretch of brilliance from Booker. Since that incident, Booker has been on fire, helping lead the Suns to 11 straight wins.
A 35-point masterpiece against the Nets was yet another marvelous performance. After that game, I thought to myself, ‘Why is Devin Booker doing this?’ Here’s the answer to that question.
Devin Booker Over His Last 11 Games
30.5 points / 5.6 rebounds / 1.1 steals / 56% TS / 11-0 record
Pull-Up Shooting
Devin Booker is already an elite pull-up shooter. When Drake makes a song about your jump shot, you’re doing something right. Booker shoots 11.3 pull-up field goals per game, which ranks 4th in the league. Booker loves his pull-ups.
Over the last 11 games, Booker has increased his volume on these shots. Think of this as Leo Drummond offering Rudy Baylor a $175,000 dollar settlement instead of $75,000.
(Shoutout Bruiser + Prince)
Here’s one of my patented tables to illustrate Booker’s increase in volume;
| Devin Booker’s Pull-Up Shooting (2022) | Devin Booker’s Pull-Up Shooting (Last 11 Games) |
| 11.2 PPG (5th) | 13.0 PPG (2nd) |
| 11.3 Pull-Up FGA (4th) | 13.7 Pull-Up FGA (1st) |
| 3.4 Pull-Up 3-PTA (22nd) | 4.8 Pull-Up 3-PTA** (T-8th) |
| 37.2% 3-PT** (5th) | 28.3% 3-PT (19th) |
Booker’s 3-PT shooting hasn’t been as good, but he has been relying heavily on the pull-up game. He goes about this in two different ways.
Pin-Downs
Booker is shooting 42% from the field on off-ball screens this year. He runs quite a lot of pin-down screens involving Ayton or McGee. He’s surgical getting to his spots in the lane of these screens.
A simple screen from McGee frees Booker. He knifes into the lane and eases in the 12-footer. It’s almost impossible to stop this play. Unless Griffin 100% commits to Booker, this will generate a good look every time. If Griffin does step up, then you leave McGee wide-open down low. Impossible.
This time, Booker is pushed farther out on the pindown. It still doesn’t mean a thing. Blake Griffin recovers well after the initial defender falls, but it’s not enough.
A few nights ago against the Spurs, it was the same thing. Here, Booker makes a weird move to evade Vassell, but it works. Biyombo sets a second screen for Booker, leading to an easy mid-range jumper.
It even works on 3-pointers. What can’t this play do?
Playmaking??
Dejounte Murray pushes Booker far off his original path, eliminating a smooth curl leading to a shot. But, he still generates dribble penetration. Paul promptly scores thanks to this action.
Immediately after Booker frees himself, it springs into a hand-off action with Payton. Cam Johnson is the recipient of a great shot, but he misses.
Still, fun little wrinkles to this action, even if they don’t involve Booker, is what keeps defenses on their toes.
The Suns do a great job using Booker off-ball. I know I didn’t show it, but Booker has been just as good without the use of a screen.
But, this is what makes both Booker and the Suns’ offense harder to stop. They run those pin downs to perfection, leading to great looks. My question from all of this is, ‘How do you stop this?’
(Maybe you can’t??)
Getting Out In Transition
Another thing I’ve noticed about Booker’s game is in transition. Against non-set defenses, Booker is also thriving.
Chris Paul is the usual spark for these breaks, pushing the ball ahead. When Booker gets the ball, he can do a lot of things. He can drive downhill with no help coming. Pulling up from the perimeter is never a bad option. The occasional assist from Booker also presents itself.
Sure, pin downs can help Booker’s pull-up game, but he’s pretty darn good on his own too. Booker made things look too easy to end the second half against the Nets last night;
Smooth.
The Unfair Factor (Part 1)
This goes beyond the numbers. It’s easy to point out things that Booker is doing well. I gathered seven clips and talked about one specific aspect of his game. That’s cool and all, but there’s something that sets Booker apart.
There’s a reason his mantra Be Legendary is from Kobe Bryant. There are great scorers in the NBA. Guys who can give you 25+ points a night without breaking a sweat. For years, Booker was that good, but he never got the respect he deserved.
Booker fell into the category of “empty stats.” The argument is that a player is only putting up big numbers because their team sucks. There is some truth to that statement, but it doesn’t apply to Booker.
When you think of the best scorers in the NBA, Booker is up there. Sure, his efficiency and 3-PT shooting off the dribble leaves something to be desired. Booker isn’t perfect, but he’s one of the best scorers in the NBA. He doesn’t run away from the big moment, he yearns for it.
An article made by John Hollinger of The Athletic yesterday made this point;
They [Phoenix] just don’t have the one guy who immediately strikes fear and trembling. If you make a list of the top 10 players in the league, there probably aren’t any Suns on it.
via John Hollinger
That second part of the quote is true, but not the second part. I know I’m not an NBA player, but I would be scared of Devin Booker. Sorry, John.
The Unfair Factor (Part 2)
The Suns are quietly dominating the league. Booker is arguably their best player, someone who will make another All-Star team this season.
Devin Booker is one of the best scorers in the NBA. He is a smooth operator who isn’t scared of the moment. The lack of recognition that both he and the Suns get is only fuel to the fire. The fuel to not only get back to the Finals, but win it all.
The world still doesn’t know everything about Devin Booker, but I have a feeling both parties will get to know each other much better over the coming weeks.
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