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OrthiaxMike James•

Pretty fair and accurate tbh

20
JavaPalaverOP•

What Lowe says:

  1. Devin Booker, a few feet off

One reason the Phoenix Suns could use a real point guard: Booker isn't quite an accurate enough passer to handle the job full time (not to mention that too much Point Book cannibalizes his value as an off-ball threat). A lot of his passes are a hair off -- too low for galoots, or a bit behind them:

Booker's turnovers have spiked; he ranks eighth in turnovers off of passes, per Second Spectrum tracking data -- the live-ball, pick-six cough-ups that kill you.

Every entry pass is an adventure. Booker either throws lollipops or flat ropes that almost look as if they are intended for fronting defenders.

He's hit-or-miss when dealing with pressure at the point of attack. Booker will sometimes pick his dribble up above the 3-point arc, and toss soft desperation passes to guys who were open a second earlier -- but not anymore:

This isn't a huge problem. The Suns turn the ball over less often with Booker on the floor, and Point Book lineups have outperformed most other Phoenix groups. That probably says as much about the sorry state of the roster -- riddled with injuries for the past two weeks -- as it does Booker.

He sees the right things. He knows how to manipulate defenses in mid-rotation -- how to fake the pass they expect, and skip ahead to the one they don't. He's a dynamic lefty passer who can gather the ball with either hand.

It has been hard for Booker to develop chemistry with an ever-changing cast of kiddos. He slips backdoor passes to guys who don't cut, and lobs to rim-runners who don't leap. Cohesion will come with time.

But Booker needs to work on the basics, too.

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Planet_ORNGPhoenix Suns•

He’s never looked fully comfortable in this Harden role imo. He doesn’t have the handles for it or the passing IQ.

We really need Book back at the 2. Coming off screens, catching and shooting. Receive a pass to a pump fake to the rim. These sort of things are when Book is at his best. Not when he is trying to throw lobs every 3 plays or force it into the post.

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cantmakeusernamesSteve Nash•

Couldn't disagree more. His playmaking stats are very comparable to Harden's first few years in Houston, and Harden was a few years older at that point. He's the most Harden-like player of anybody else in the NBA right now (in terms of developmental trajectory, not current value obviously). He's very good at making the right reads out of the PnR, and has the rare and valuable ability to make pull up 3s. We absolutely want him playing on ball most of the time.

I'm getting really frustrated with how people have convinced themselves he isn't a good playmaker or something. Other than being the best offensive creators in the league, what do guys like Harden, LeBron, Curry, and Westbrook have in common? They commit a lot of turnovers. Booker's assist and turnover numbers are pretty much in line with those guys, it's not a real concern.

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ThugnotesPhoenix Suns•

Imo, book is harden-lite. His ball handling and passing skills are half of what hardens are. Yet book can put up numbers because he knows how to read the defense. He just doesn't know how to play with his teammates and vice versa. So when his teammates aren't in the right spots, he tries to overcompensate all the time. Making his average passing skills less accurate.
In the end, Booker is better as an off ball shooting guard who handles the ball occasionally. Our team is not constructed the same way as Houston. We don't have a million 3 and D guys like they do. Oubre is inconsistent on offense, Warren is inconsistent at defense(though he does have some nice defense plays), bridges is inconsistent on offense, and JJ is just inconsistent in general.
Book cant be harden. Our team can't be the rockettes and our current system has us playing like the rockets despite the fact that half of our players are more efficient driving to the basket than shooting threes. JJ standing at the corner waiting for the three that he's never gonna get or is probably gonna miss is an easy way to take him out of the game mentally. He's way better when he cuts to the basket or is in transition.

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Bigmouthblog•

He isn't a good play maker....I'm convinced

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protos32DBook•

It's true. Booker's passing isnt perfect but more importantly it ruines the opportunity for him to come off screens and play off ball. Having a real point guard will allow Booker to actually play and fucking dominate the shoot guard position. We dont need Booker to half ass emulate Harden. That's not his strong suit.

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Bigmouthblog•

I've been saying Booker has been sloppy with the ball all season and getting blasted by this sub, but this is exactly what I meant

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