Devin Booker has been on a rampaging run in the 9 NBA 2023 Playoff games that he has played in thus far. With a total of 331 points already, Booker is currently going at a rate that only Michael Jordan was able to rival, once in his decorated Playoff career. A Reddit post by a fan went in depth about the actual semantics that have gone behind Booker’s crazy form for the Phoenix Suns thus far.
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While Michael Jordan had scored 27 more points in the 1990 NBA Playoffs after his first 9 games, Booker is not that far behind. He has produced similar numbers while taking fewer overall shots than Michael Jordan.
Devin Booker’s shooting stats reveal a historic scoring feat
After 9 Playoff games, Devin Booker has scored 331 points with an otherworldly efficiency of 61.7%. He has converted a whopping 51.7% of his 3-point attempts and has an 89.4% success rate with free throws.
On the other hand, Michael Jordan showed worse efficiency across the board, ending up with just 3 more points than Booker despite taking 5 extra shots.
This means that Booker is also taking a higher number of 3-point attempts per game which is why he is only 27 points behind. A Reddit post on the r/NBA subreddit revealed some detailed information about Booker’s heroics.
Booker’s 9-game run might not be as prolific as Jordan’s due to lesser volume. However, he has also produced some phenomenal displays including the recent 47 points and 9 assists in game 3 against the Nuggets.
The fact that he followed it up with a 36-point double-double with 12 assists shows his depth and passing range as well. Booker has seemingly developed the ability to consistently find ways to help his team score and has done enough to prove how important he will be if the Suns are to live up to the expectations.
Booker's first 9 games this playoffs: 36.8 ppg | 5.1 rpg | 7.4 apg | 2spg | .9 bpg | 71.1 TS (+14.5 rTS) — Jordan's best 9 game stretch in the playoffs (arguably): 39.8 ppg | 7.1 rpg | 7 apg | 3.4 spg | 1 bpg | 60 TS (+5.8 rTS)
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Michael Jordan’s 1990 NBA Playoff run was second to none
Despite the fact that things ended poorly for the Bulls, Jordan produced some spectacular individual games. He had a 61.7% overall shooting efficiency with more than 51% of his 3-point attempts finding the net.
He produced 4 games in which he scored at least 45 points, three of which came against a stacked Philadelphia 76ers’ team in the Eastern COnference Semifinals. Jordan produced a whopping 215 points in 5 matches against the 76ers.
He scored 49 in the game 3 loss and returned in game 4 to score 45 points along with 11 rebounds. The Chicago Bulls won the series 4-1 and eventually lost to the Detroit Pistons, but that gave them the impetus to kickstart the first of Jordan’s 2 hattricks of titles the next season.
He also boasted of almost 90% of free throw efficiency. While there is little doubt that his overall numbers seem to be superior to Booker’s, the 26-year-old’s performances during these playoffs cannot be ignored as well.
Points this playoffs:
601 — Booker/Durant
594 — Bucks
578 — Clippers
527 — Timberwolves
471 — Cavaliers
370 — Nets— Booker Muse (@DevinBookerMuse) May 8, 2023
The Phoenix Suns are currently embroiled in a difficult Western Conference Semi-finals series against the Denver Nuggets. With the Suns struggling with their depth and the absence of Chris Paul, Booker has continued to exceed expectations and is on track to have a truly historic season.
The shooting guard had been the star for his team in the first series against the LA Clippers, and the trend seems to have continued against Nikola Jokic’s team as well.
