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“You Want Him Taking That Shot”: Devin Booker Speaks on Jimmy Butler’s Clutch 3-Pointer Over Grayson Allen

Prateek Singh
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“You Want Him Taking That Shot”: Devin Booker Speaks on Jimmy Butler’s Clutch 3-Pointer Over Grayson Allen

The Phoenix Suns lost to the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center yesterday, making it their second loss in a row. Jimmy Butler took over in the second half, leading the Heat to a 121-111 win. After the game, Devin Booker was asked about Butler’s three over Grayson Allen.

The Suns star stated that the possession didn’t seem like a big problem to his side at first. He believes that if Allen had done a better job closing out on Butler, the game’s result would’ve been different.

With over four minutes left on the clock, Butler received a pass from Bam Adebayo for a corner three. Although Allen was there to defend against the upcoming three-point attempt, he maintained distance and only had his arm up to contest the shot. This gave enough time and space for Butler to drain the three.

Booker said, “On paper, you want him taking that shot, but it was a little bit too comfortable. Grayson (Allen) didn’t close out all the way. Next possessions and get back to backhand so…protecting the paint, getting directional, sending him the way he doesn’t want to go.”

On paper, Grayson’s defense makes sense. Butler has attempted only 23 triples this season, knocking down nine of them. Before that shot, Jimmy had converted five out of his 14 attempts from the corners this year. However, what Allen forgot to account for was Jimmy’s clutch gene.

Booker believes that his team lacked strategy in the final minutes of the game which led to the loss in Miami. He also shared his thoughts on how Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson played a huge role in swaying the game in the Heat’s favor.

He said, “If you’re going over everything on Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson, they’re going to have downhill attacks and they are good at finding the man in the pocket for a short roll. So, you know, scheming better against them.”

Playing without Kevin Durant, Booker and Co. did their best to avoid the loss. They were leading with five points at the end of the first half. However, they ended up losing grip on the game, especially with the three Butler hits in the fourth quarter. While it wasn’t risky for them statistically that Butler was taking the shot, he had a much better execution than they expected.

Post Edited By:Raahib Singh

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Prateek Singh

Prateek Singh

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Prateek is a Senior NBA Writer for The SportsRush. He has over 900 published articles under his name. Prateek merged his passion for writing and his love for the sport of basketball to make a career out of it. Other than basketball, he is also an ardent follower of the UFC and soccer. Apart from the world of sports, he has followed hip-hop religiously and often writes about the origins, evolution, and the biggest stars of the music genre.

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