Devin Booker Projected to Still be Elite in Future Player Rankings
Phoenix Suns SG Devin Booker is entering the prime of his career - and he's still only 26-years-old.
Since entering the league as a lottery pick in 2015, Booker has slowly yet surely cemented his status as one of the league's top scorers. With Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal now on his side, there's serious hope the Suns can bring home a title.
Phoenix has pushed their chips to the middle of the table, diving deep into the second apron of the luxury tax and sacrificing future draft capital in order to maximize their current championship window.
Years down the road, will Booker still be impactful?
Bleacher Report sure believes so, placing Booker at No. 9 in their "Predicting Stars For The Next Five Years" rankings.
"Devin Booker put on a scorching shooting display throughout the 2023 postseason, cementing himself as one of the NBA's preeminent offensive talents. His point-producing acumen extends well beyond his deadly accuracy off the bounce, too, since he's continuously improved as a willing and capable facilitator able to make an impact even without aiming for nylon," wrote Adam Fromal.
"However, the Phoenix Suns shooting guard isn't a consistently excellent defender, and it's vital to remember that his playoff performance wasn't his established norm. Booker lifted his scoring average by 5.9 points per game and coupled that with an 8.5-point lift to his true shooting percentage.
"Yes, the 26-year-old deserves credit for his ability to elevate his play when games matter most. He's ranked within the top 10 here for a reason. But per Dunks and Threes' estimated plus-minus (tied with Darius Garland and Aaron Gordon at 24th) and estimated wins (41st after playing just 53 games) during the regular season, Booker hasn't sustained that peak ability.
"The top-end talent, however sporadically it's appeared, to prove this ranking too conservative certainly exists. It's just not reliable yet."
Full Top Ten:
- Luka Doncic
- Nikola Jokic
- Jayson Tatum
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Victor Wembanyama
- Anthony Edwards
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Scoot Henderson
- Devin Booker
- Cade Cunningham
Durant fell in the "aging out" category.
Booker will be 31 years old five years down the road (2027-28), one of three players alongside Jokic (32) and Antetokounmpo (33) to meet that threshold.
