“Devin Booker should make an All-Defensive team this season!”: How the Suns’ superstar is slowly changing the narrative around his so-called lackluster defense

Joe Viju | 17/03/2022
“Devin Booker should make an All-Defensive team this season!”: How the Suns’ superstar is slowly changing the narrative around his so-called lackluster defense

Phoenix Suns’ superstar Devin Booker has a defensive rating of 107. 5, which is the best by a shooting guard in the league this season.

It’s no secret that Devin Booker is one of the best scorers in the NBA today. The 25-year-old is unstoppable on the offensive end, averaging 25.6 points, a career-high 5.1 rebounds, along with 4.9 assists per game, and rightfully making the All-star game in the process.

This comes as no surprise, as we know what a monster D-Book is on offense. So much so that he earned comparisons to the great Kobe Bryant. However, something that the Lakers legend had a clear advantage over Book is his defense, making 12x All-defensive teams during his 20-year career.

However, of late, it seems like Devin Booker is slowly bridging that gap. How so? Read on to find out….

Also Read: “Why put ‘?’ After ‘DPOY’ for Robert Williams III”: NBA Twitter reacts to yet another robust defensive display from the Celtics star

Devin Booker has a case for the All-defensive team this season.

Ever since Devin Booker entered the league, he has been accused of putting up ‘empty stats’ and not contributing to winning with those tragic Phoenix teams. However, the 25-year-old shut those haters last year, when he led the Suns to the NBA final, losing out to the eventual champions in Milwaukee Bucks.

However, some people still question his defense. But, this season especially, things seem to have changed. To put things into perspective, just took a look at this stat:

We have to remember, lower is good when it comes to defensive rating.

Like the tweet says, this is certainly ‘interesting’ for someone who has been labeled a ‘defensive liability’ for most of his career. To put things into perspective, guards who are known to be defensive stalwarts like Jrue Holiday and Patrick Beverly have ratings of 110.6 and 109.8 this season.

While we agree, when it comes to defense, numbers aren’t everything. However, with Book, even the eye test says he is a positive defender. That doesn’t mean you dismiss the numbers entirely, because they can absolutely be helpful. With that in mind, they should never be the central point of any argument, rather used to support what you see on the court.

And it’s high time to set the narrative straight: Devin Booker is a pretty damn good defender.

Also Read: “Stephen A Smith is valid in my book!”: Suns’ Mikal Bridges agrees with the ESPN analyst, firmly believes he’s DPOY this year over Draymond Green

Post Edited By: Joe Viju
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