“I had to force Devin Booker to shoot!”: Earl Watson reveals how he changed the Suns star’s almost Ben Simmons-like mentality

Former Suns head coach reveals how he had to force Devin Booker to become the fearless player he is today

Devin Booker is easily one of the best offensive players in the NBA today. His skill and focus during this postseason have been downright incredible. His dogged and almost reckless mentality has been unrelenting, making him incredibly unpredictable in the worst ways for opposing defenses.

As fans, we know Book as one of those fearless players today, but this isn’t something he was born with. In fact, former Suns head coach Earl Watson recently revealed that the player’s game was far more timid before he had to step in.

This is a story, that not just Suns supporters, but fans from around the NBA are sure to be astonished by. Let’s get into it.

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“I remember he was hesitant to shoot”: Earl Watson reveals Devin Booker’s shocking mindset early on in his NBA career

Earl Watson only coached the Suns for about a season and a half. But, during this time, he perhaps gave Book his most important attribute.

During an interview with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Watson was asked about what it was like to coach Devin Booker. And frankly, his response has us chuckling quite a bit.

“I remember he was hesitant to shoot initially because he was trying to be efficient. I had to yell at him to shoot the f****** ball. I told him to shoot 25 times. True scorers have to play with a level of freedom and comfortability to create. He eventually got the hang of it, as you see now.”

Devin Booker arriving for his first NBA Finals ☀️

(via IG: perlamacias49) pic.twitter.com/zlarOMTBSd

— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) July 7, 2021

We don’t know about you, but we can’t really imagine the Devin Booker being afraid to take a shot. But, that is just the amazing job Watson did of coaching the player. And as a result, we have the pleasure of watching his greatness unfold in the NBA finals during this postseason.

Also Read: How Michael Jordan encouraged his Bulls teammates before he shot 100% in Game 2 of the 1991 NBA Finals against the Lakers

About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta is a Senior Editor at The SportsRush. Coming from an athletically inclined family, he has been surrounded by sports ever since he was 4 years old. But, while initially pouring all his time into Football (soccer), at 14, Tonoy discovered basketball through the countless highlights of Stephen Curry humiliating players from Curry Land. And just like that, a fiery passion for the game was ignited within Tonoy. And soon after, he decided to become a student of journalism, graduating in 2022, and choosing sports as his area of interest. Today, you can find him spending 99% of his time browsing through every type of content on every team in the NBA, before uncorking everything he has found to the world. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball, Football, Volleyball, or practically any other sport he has had the opportunity to learn.

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