“Devin Booker made LeBron James look old”: Skip Bayless calls out Lakers star for lackluster performance vs Devin Booker and Suns in Game 1

Skip Bayless says Devin Booker made LeBron James look very old as the former dropped a light 34 points on the Lakers superstar. 

The Phoenix Suns rolled into their own home stadium as the higher seed but were oddly considered underdogs for their bout against the 7th seeded Los Angeles Lakers. The odds seemed to have not mattered to Devin Booker and the Suns however as they steamrolled through LeBron James’s Lakers, never letting them get close down the stretch. 

One of the major aspects of the Phoenix Suns’ roster construction is the fact that many of their rotation players aren’t Playoff hardened. Guys like Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges are all extremely crucial to the Suns’ offense and defense and yet this was their first time of postseason basketball.

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Chris Paul and Jae Crowder are the only two players on the Suns roster who’ve experienced deep Playoff runs and are expected to lead the way for Phoenix as the veterans on the team. With Paul being a non-factor in Game 1 due to a lingering right shoulder injury, Devin Booker had a lot to carry on his shoulders, offensively. 

Devin Booker made LeBron James look old, says Skip Bayless. 

The narrative surrounding LeBron James going into these 2021 NBA Playoffs has been his health, as Stephen A. Smith said, “We’ve never seen LeBron James like this before,”; and it’s true. With his right ankle not having healed from the constant sprains it’s been dealing with; many are claiming father time has finally started to catch up to the 18-year vet. 

Skip Bayless had a field day on Twitter as he took to the platform to rejoice over the Lakers loss to the Suns. Of course, he chose to single LeBron James out and hilariously tweeted out, “Devin Booker made LeBron James look old.”

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In all fairness, Bayless does have a point here. Prior to his ankle injury against the Hawks in mid-March, the reigning Finals MVP looked incredible on defense: on-ball and off-ball. However, last night’s Game 1 proved that his quickness laterally was no match for Devin Booker’s young legs as the Suns superstar waltzed his way into an efficient 34 points. 

With the Suns taking Game 1 in dominant fashion, they’ve effectively secured homecourt advantage for the rest of the series. It’ll be interesting to see what adjustments Frank Vogel makes on the defensive end of the floor to help contain Devin Booker as doubling off the catch seems to be a viable option.