The Phoenix Suns are 9-16 (and two of those wins came vs the Bulls), with the league’s third worst point differential average and a laughably bad defense. This is after they had the NBA’s second-worst record (24-58) last season.
Things are rough in Phoenix, but at least they have a fun star in third-year guard Devin Booker.
The 21-year-old showed off his ridiculous scoring skills on Monday night, when he dropped 46 points (17-32 FG, 7-8 FT) on the Sixers in a 115-101 Suns victory.
Let’s get this guy in the All-Star Game.
Sure, Devin. Okay. pic.twitter.com/VY9aZdSTnL
— Matt Petersen (@TheMattPetersen) December 5, 2017
https://twitter.com/BBallSociety_/status/937867725921292288
Send a double team at him, send Embiid at him, you cannot stop Devin Booker. Man on a mission. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/6AYdtjFzT2
— Zona (@AZSportsZone) December 5, 2017
Youngest Players In NBA History to get 46 points and 8 rebounds:
1. LeBron James: 56 pts, 10 rebs, 20 yrs 80 days
2. Devin Booker: 70 pts, 8 rebs, 20 yrs 145 days
3. Devin Booker 46 pts, 8 rebs, 21 yrs 35 days— Chris Palmer (@ChrisPalmerNBA) December 5, 2017
Booker’s absurd Monday night performances comes after he scored 38 points vs the Celtics on Saturday, making for 84 points over his last two games (and he scored 70 points in ONE GAME vs the Celtics in March).
Devin Booker received a standing ovation from the Boston crowd after he fouled out pic.twitter.com/clLzbj9VuX
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 2, 2017
Booker since sitting out at Minnesota (4 games):
34.8 ppg
6.3 rpg
2.5 apg
54.3 FG%
53.6 3FG%— Matt Petersen (@TheMattPetersen) December 5, 2017
The Kentucky product already has 10 30-point games on the season, something nobody in Suns history had done in the team’s first 25 games.
Most 30-pt Games in Team’s 1st 25 Games – Suns History
2017-18 Devin Booker 10
1975-75 Charlie Scott 9 https://t.co/U4hDemzm1a— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 5, 2017
Booker’s all-around game still has a ways to go (his PER ranks 50th), but he’s already an elite scorer, and his 24.5 points per game lead all shooting guards.
Phoenix appears to have a franchise player, and if they could surround him with even just a couple more good players, they could quickly go from train wreck to contender (provided their team defense doesn’t stay this awful).
