Some players don’t immediately make scouts’ eyes pop, but gradually grow into legends. Devin Booker is turning out to be one of them, slowly emerging as one of the best players in the NBA and the face of the Phoenix Suns franchise. And who better to shed light on how much he’s improved than a decade-old friend who’s seen it all?
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D’Angelo Russell was drafted into the NBA the same year as Booker, and in fact, was selected much ahead of him. D’Lo was the No. 2 pick for the Los Angeles Lakers, whereas Booker realized he was headed to The Valley when the 13th name was read. So, it’s safe to say that Booker wasn’t as high as D’Lo (and 11 others) on the list of promising young stars.
Even at the University of Kentucky in 2014-15, Booker was not one of the main players. Not that he wasn’t good, since he won the SEC Sixth Man of the Year award, averaging 10 points per game, but he certainly wasn’t a starter, having started zero of the 38 games that season. But, what changed?
Russell recalled, on the Backyard podcast, how when he went one-on-one against Booker pre-Draft, the now-Suns legend could barely dribble. “We used to compete in pre-draft head-on, dude couldn’t dribble for real, and now he’s a pro.”
In his rookie year, Booker showed that he could be relied on as a scorer, too, and, averaging around 27 minutes per game, he put up 13 points. These weren’t mind-blowing figures, but the potential was always there, and boy, did he fulfill it.
“He’s one of the few guys I watched develop into who he is. Just watching him elevate his game every year,” Russell added, about Booker. “Watching him develop all these things and his game, and it’s just like ‘Now y’all comparing this guy to Kobe?’. It’s recognizing and appreciating it, and also being motivated by it.”
D’Angelo Russell on Devin Booker’s development:
“He’s one of the few guys I watched develop into who he is. Just watching him elevate his game every year. We used to compete in pre-draft head-on — dude couldn’t dribble for real and now he’s a pro. Watching him develop all these… pic.twitter.com/s3eDtZa1OF
— Booker Muse (@DevinBookerMuse) September 12, 2025
Unlike Booker, Russell’s stock dropped drastically after the draft. While he has never been a perennial bench-warmer on any team, front offices have never been too hesitant to trade D’Lo, often using him as a cog to facilitate better trade moves. Booker, meanwhile, is on his way to earning a ticket into the Hall of Fame.
Like Russell said, Booker has often been compared to Kobe Bryant because of similarities in their playing styles. Both are elite mid-range shooters, and Booker has also become a crafty dribbler. Both can create scoring opportunities out of virtually nothing.
Booker also led the Suns to the NBA Finals in 2021 and has gone on to become their leading all-time scorer.
