Suns legend Charles Barkley didn’t mince words when explaining why he was “disappointed” in Phoenix star Devin Booker’s playoff showing.
“Devin Booker is the best player on the team, and he should never defer to anybody,” Barkley told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Friday. “Even when you lose, when you’re a star, you have to make sure (that you) hold up your end of the bargain, and he did not.”
Booker ran into an Oklahoma City Thunder defense in the first round that forced him into four turnovers per game (second most for a playoff series in his career) and just 15.8 shot attempts per game (the fewest of any playoff series in his career). He never took more than 17 attempts in any one game.
While those stats might be able to be brushed off by facing an all-world defense like OKC’s, the deferential shot selection is becoming a trend.
The 15.8 shots per game came on playoff series after he set another career low with 16.3 attempts per game in the 2024 series loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Both saw Phoenix get swept, and the Suns are on a 10-game playoff losing streak.
It showed up to a larger extent in the final game of the more recent series, as he was held to 0-for-3 shooting in the first half before a much better 8-for-13 showing in the second.
This series was Booker’s first without at least one game scoring 25 or more points, averaging 21.3 points over the sweep. His 4.8 assists per game were his lowest in any series since 4.6 in the seven-game series loss to the Dallas Mavericks in 2022.
“He’s got to be Devin Booker All-Star,” Barkley said. “Those other guys aren’t All-Stars.”
The Suns legend added that the team overachieved this season with head coach Jordan Ott being a big reason why, but he noted the team is nowhere close to OKC or the San Antonio Spurs, who appear to be on a collision course to decide the West.
from Arizona Sports https://ift.tt/z4QBxIZ
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