Devin Booker and his Suns are in Complete Control
The mantel of the best player this postseason belongs to Devin Booker. Right now, he’s in control, and nobody can stop him or the Suns.
Game 4 between the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns had a little bit of everything. From virtuoso individual performances to an owner getting shoved courtside, Phoenix’s 129-124 win was wildly entertaining. After trailing the series 0-2, the Suns have saved their season. In the middle of the chaos and this turnaround was Devin Booker, who has been, put simply, the MVP of this postseason.
It’s not just that Booker can’t seem to miss. Or that everything the Nuggets throw at him hasn’t worked. The amazing part of what D-Book has been doing is how easy it looks. It doesn’t even look like he’s breaking a sweat. And if Booker keeps playing like this, then an upset doesn’t seem unlikely for Phoenix.
Breaking Down Booker’s Dissection
Devin Booker scoring in bunches isn’t unusual. It’s just what the guy does. He’s done it since the moment he stepped into this league. There aren’t many three-level scorers who operate as smoothly as Booker. He can get his shot anytime, anywhere.
Against the Clippers in the first round, Booker was also setting the world on fire. But I think we collectively ignored those results because the Clippers were missing their two best wing defenders. In retrospect, what Booker has done in this series is a continuation of what he started last round. Even so, I don’t think anybody expected this sort of explosion. And that’s the best way to describe what Booker has done over these past two games. Explode.
Over the last two games of this series, Booker has scored 83 points while shooting 79% from the field! He shot 34/43 from the field in those games! Even though Denver is throwing the kitchen sink at him, he barely seems to notice. And it’s not like Booker is feasting at the rim.
Of his 83 points, only 27 of them have come from free throws and layups. Most of his damage has come from the perimeter, where he’s torched every would-be defender. Booker’s shot making has put Denver in an unenviable position.
Short of committing a crime, there isn’t much Denver can do right now to stop Booker. With how hot he’s been, defending him one on one is a mistake. So, in game four, Denver got more aggressive with their defense. They started sending double teams at Booker, forcing him to give up the ball.
And that’s where Phoenix’s excellent tweaks comes into play. In the first two games of this series, the Nuggets would hedge with Jokic in the pick-and-roll. They would dare Phoenix to throw crosscourt skip passes. The problem was that the guy receiving the ball was usually a non-shooter like Craig or Lee. And that’s if the pass even reached the target.
So, Monty Williams has gone with more shooting. Guys like Landry Shamet, Terrence Ross, and TJ Warren have all been getting more minutes. This has stretched out the floor and made Denver pay for sending help at the ball handler. The problem, of course, is that they need to send that help. Letting Booker (or Durant, who has also been excellent) isolate is an even worse option.
Booker, in particular, has done a great job manipulating the defense. He had 12 assists in game four — with lots of crosscourt gems like this one;
The most powerful thing a player can do after drawing multiple defenders is to keep them close—holding their attention while stringing out the defense toward the sideline, distorting its shape. Booker didn’t just beat the double in Game 4; he turned it into something he could control.
With Chris Paul out of the lineup, Phoenix has also been getting more looks against a disoriented defense. Booker has thrived here, too, getting looks that are actually easy. But, even in the halfcourt, Booker is getting whatever he wants. He’s in total control. The Nuggets just can’t seem to get on his pace, or his frequency, or his level. Even when the double comes, Booker is still getting whatever he wants.
How Can The Nuggets Adjust?
Now, for as good as Booker and the Suns have been, Denver only lost game four by five points. While they’ve lost momentum, the Nuggets still have homecourt advantage. Still, for the first time all season, Denver has some adversity to overcome.
Denver was superb through the first two games with their schemes, but they haven’t reacted well to the Suns’ counterpunch. Michael Malone and this coaching staff must go back to the drawing board.
Offensively, I don’t think Denver really has to change much. That’s been the case for most of the season. Phoenix doesn’t have a chance in hell of slowing down Nikola Jokic. Jokic’s 53-point, 11 assist masterpiece was overshadowed by the Ishbia incident courtside. Thankfully, Jokic wasn’t suspended. I don’t think Ayton or Landale can slow him down. Still, Denver’s offense wasn’t perfect in game four.
For one, the ball and player movement stagnated at times. It seemed like the Nuggets got content with Jokic doing all the work. The offense boiled down to four guys watching the ball. Guys like Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon didn’t seem as involved as they should have been.
However, I think we can all agree what defense is Denver’s main concern right now. After capitalizing on the Suns’ poor floor spacing earlier on in the series, the Nuggets are now stretched too thin. I don’t think hedging with Nikola Jokic is a good idea anymore. It worked when the Suns didn’t have any floor spacing, but now you’re inviting the likes of Landry Shamet and Terrence Ross to pick you apart.
For the most part, Durant and Booker have been taking contested shots. Aaron Gordon has stuck to Durant like glue, making life as difficult as he possibly can for the guy. You would love to see better individual defense on Booker, but again, there’s not much you can do when the guy is burning holes through the ozone layer.
Denver’s best defensive strategy may just be to play those two straight up. Make life as difficult as possible for them, but don’t let any of the role players going. Landry Shamet won’t score 19 points again if you’re not leaving him open every play. Still, Denver can’t enjoy the position they’re in.
Another option may be to put the bigger, more physical Aaron Gordon on Booker and stick KCP or Bruce Brown on KD. Those two guards are quick and can get under Durant. Gordon is also a better option to switch onto Ayton rather than KCP. That may be one avenue to throw a different look at Phoenix, something that confuses them.
The easiest fix, however, is in transition. Phoenix has turned up the heat (no pun intended) with their pace in their wins. Off misses, the Nuggets have done a poor job getting back in transition. You don’t want to give this already lethal Suns offense any easy opportunities. You have to make them work for it.
Plays like this can’t happen if Denver wants to regain momentum;
After cruising through the regular season, Denver will get to show us what they’re made of. This series looked to be totally in their favor just a few days ago. But, if the Nuggets want to be title contenders, they have to be able to respond to some adversity.
Right now, Devin Booker and the Suns have all the momentum. They feel like they can’t be stopped (partly because they haven’t been). Denver can’t panic, but they have to be on their games for the rest of this series if they want to avoid an upset.
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