Is Devin Booker a Franchise Player?

[SF_Warriors]

If by franchise player we mean top 10 ish player, then no. If we mean franchise cornerstone where he can be a top 3 option on a contending core, then possibly.

[jlokine]

can klay thompson be a franchise player? i think devin booker would play well as a celtics ray allen role or klay thompson role. off the ball jump shooter with the occasional iso move

[PhilBlackson]

Ask this in a year or two...

Right now when PHX is at their lowest it's incredibly easy for people to write him off.

I believe that to some degree PHX was tanking, not that they were good but I think they milked Booker's injury with the intention of drafting high as possible -- it's like many forgethe missed a 1/3 of the season which is tough for a team that's already bad. Once he starts raining down buckets on people's heads you'll see this board start flip flopping. He's going to be far more on par with Harden than Klay long term, he's a more complete scorer than KT. But he's going to need the 3+D players as well to make him look better as did Harden.

[cupcakesnake]

Big scorers always overrated by fans.

Booker, Derozan, CJ McCollum aren't franchise players. They can't do enough to go head to toe with franchise players like Lebron, Durant, Curry, Harden, Kawhi, Giannis, Anthony Davis.

Can they score on their matchup and put pressure on a defense? Yes absolutely. Can they put so much pressure on the other team in so many ways (or a few overwhelming ways) that they can destroy the other team's gameplan? Absolutely not. Teams need scoring a lots of it. But franchise players are the game breakers whose games are too much for other teams. Creative scoring and shot making doesn't quite cut it.

- Lebron, Giannis and AD overwhelm defenses with their athleticism.
- Harden and Lebron are unguardable one and one and un-doubleable due to their passing.
- Kawhi and Durant are unguardable one on one, can score from every area of the floor and put pressure on the other team defensively to different degrees.
- Curry's shot is a nuclear bomb.

Devin Booker doesn't stack up. He's going to be a great scorer and probably a creative passer. He's even an offensive hub. But offensive hubs that need a lot of help in so many areas aren't quite franchise players by my definition. Shout out to Isaiah Thomas, Demar, CJ, Kevin Love, younger versions of Dragic and Tony Parker, Blake, Kemba

[SlowPaced]

no one cares that he put up 24/5/5 on a 21 team..

You should care, considering he's 21 years old. There are only three other guys who put up 24-4-4 at the age of 21. MJ, LeBron and T-Mac.

[Effigy]

Don't think it's necessary for a player to play good defense to be considered as a franchise player.

Harden plays no defense.

Devin Booker shows no signs of providing the offensive lift that a guy like Harden gives you. Not really fair to compare the two.

21 years old Booker vs 21 years old Harden per 36 minutes:

Booker 26.0 pts, 4.9 ast, 4.7 reb, .432 FG%, .383 3P%, .878 FT%
Harden 16.4 pts, 2.9 ast, 4.2 reb, .436 FG%, .349 3P%, .843 FT%

[img]

Wow, the guy who has an extremely high usage rate has higher raw numbers than the guy who was coming off the bench. That's just shocking. I don't suppose you'd care to post any advanced stats, effeicency stats or anything like that? And you're not allowing for the fact that Booker had an entire extra year of experience in the league under his belt at the same age.

I think Booker is a franchise player, but deliberately posting a disingenuous comparison does him no favors.

[imDatknicksTape]

he is a very good 1a, 1b or a very good 2nd option just like players like porzingis,mccollum,klay , butler, etc..

[Wammy Giveaway]

Bookers PPG went from 13.8 in his rookie season where he played 76 games, to 24.9 in his third but only played in 54. His second season stands as his benchmark of games played with 78, averaging 35 minutes and getting 22.1 PPG. Upping his PPG by 2 points while only playing 24 games less seems to me he's just improving. All the Suns have done is lose games and tank, the idea being that a no. 1 pick equals an instant superstar. His PPG stat line has the markings of a franchise cornerstone, but the losing seasons is what's keeping him back. I don't know how to call this.

Who is Devin Booker, really? An average starting-level player who can be an option, a role player off the bench, or a substitute superstar because the Suns have none and desperately designated Booker to be one by virtue of being the 13th pick in the draft?

Why I ask this? When I was watching the Clippers and Blake Griffin, I too wondered if he was a true superstar who can take his team to the next level. He was more a showstopping number, someone who posters, lob-jams and uses highlight reel plays to entertain the crowd. Griffin's blockbuster rookie season was enough to help the Clippers in getting Chris Paul after the David Stern veto happened. But he wasn't a guy who was going to put the team on his back night in and night out, one who can muster clutch shots or steal wins with a Sudden Death Shot (the Derek Fisher 0.4 shot vs. Spurs in 2004). I don't think Booker's in that Griffin category, but it is worrisome when you have to factor in his win-loss record to distinguish between superstars and scrubs, or worse, lucky charms.

If that becomes the case, and Booker is proven to be a facade, should the Suns trade him? To where?

[Att]

Franchise player is a meaningless term or a least one that doesn't day much about his abilities.
Is he a superstar (top5 in the league)?
No
Can he be a superstar?
Probably not (= Probably can't lead his team to a championship as the first option).
Is he a star (top5 in his position and top25 in the league)?
No. Harden, Thompson, Butler, Mitchell and Oladipo are better. Probably Derozan, Beal and CJ too.
Can he be a star?
Yes, he's not that far off (and his position is very strong right now).

[5playersnot1]

no one cares that he put up 24/5/5 on a 21 team..

You should care, considering he's 21 years old. There are only three other guys who put up 24-4-4 at the age of 21. MJ, LeBron and T-Mac.

I think you're missing the point. As in the other 50% of the game. His 24-4-4 is incredible at any age. He's gifted offensively. I don't think anybody will ague that point with you. But what about the other 50% of the game? Say it again. 50% of the time he's on the court he's a liability.

If you can label a guy who only plays offense a franchise guy, then what do you label guys who play both ways like AD, Butler, Kawhi? Super duper Franchise Player?

Like a lot of guys in the league he has the potential, so I guess the answer is: Yes, he could be in the future if he committed to the other 50% of the game. Untill then, nope.

[K4P]

His numbers are pretty similar to Lavine's, but of course one is a scrub and the other is a franchise cornerstone somehow.

[bwgood77]

As of now he's not (outside of the fact that the Suns kind of made him the face of the franchise and gave him a max contract), but who knows if he can be one someday. I hate to put ceilings on players. He obviously has to play some D and cut down on the turnovers, but he's very young. Hopefully he doesn't HAVE to be a franchise player and the Suns will have several solid players in the future from this young core with Mikal Bridges, Ayton and Josh Jackson. Jackson was disappointing as a rookie so he has a ways to go as well and being an AZ fan I'm well aware of Ayton's deficiencies, but he's certainly got the tools. I think Bridges should be pretty solid and I have high hopes for Okobo.

The Suns had the worst 3 pt shooting in the league last year, and it wasn't very close, so there was no spacing and Booker was often double teamed and the primary focus on the defense and still shot over 38%. I think he can improve quite a bit on that with more 3 pt shooting on the team this year.

He also had horrid coaching the last couple of years and I think Kokoskov is a solid coach that will help the players expand their games.

Of course the western conference is so tough, you can be a damn good player and not be the best player on a contender, if that is people's criteria for a franchise player. I think a guy like Jokic is a franchise player but obviously his team didn't even make the playoffs yet.

[mowcrowbar]

Nope. He doesn’t play defense.

Kobe, Lebron, TMac, etc. at Booker’s age were all plus defenders.

Don't think it's necessary for a player to play good defense to be considered as a franchise player.

Harden plays no defense.

But you can't surely compare him to what Harden brings...

[mowcrowbar]

If you thought Ray Allen was a franchise player than sure

Ray Allen was much better than Booker, so are you calling Booker a common starter?

[mowcrowbar]

Don't think it's necessary for a player to play good defense to be considered as a franchise player.

Harden plays no defense.

Devin Booker shows no signs of providing the offensive lift that a guy like Harden gives you. Not really fair to compare the two.

21 years old Booker vs 21 years old Harden per 36 minutes:

Booker 26.0 pts, 4.9 ast, 4.7 reb, .432 FG%, .383 3P%, .878 FT%
Harden 16.4 pts, 2.9 ast, 4.2 reb, .436 FG%, .349 3P%, .843 FT%

Yeah... because context doesn't matter. Playing for a 55 win team led by Durant and Westbrook vs a 21 win team with the option to jack up 20 fga a game. You think using per 36mins will offset that?

[CeltsfanSinceBirth]

Devin Booker's initials are DB. Fitting, because he's also a douchebag.

https://streamable.com/g72ec

He could be a franchise player given his talent, but I can never root for the guy after this.

[mtron929]

I actually appreciate the distinction between Hell and Mmm. And I think the comma after Mmm is very appropriate (as well as not having the comma after Hell).

[lilfishi22]

Big scorers always overrated by fans.

Booker, Derozan, CJ McCollum aren't franchise players. They can't do enough to go head to toe with franchise players like Lebron, Durant, Curry, Harden, Kawhi, Giannis, Anthony Davis.

Can they score on their matchup and put pressure on a defense? Yes absolutely. Can they put so much pressure on the other team in so many ways (or a few overwhelming ways) that they can destroy the other team's gameplan? Absolutely not. Teams need scoring a lots of it. But franchise players are the game breakers whose games are too much for other teams. Creative scoring and shot making doesn't quite cut it.

- Lebron, Giannis and AD overwhelm defenses with their athleticism.
- Harden and Lebron are unguardable one and one and un-doubleable due to their passing.
- Kawhi and Durant are unguardable one on one, can score from every area of the floor and put pressure on the other team defensively to different degrees.
- Curry's shot is a nuclear bomb.

Devin Booker doesn't stack up. He's going to be a great scorer and probably a creative passer. He's even an offensive hub. But offensive hubs that need a lot of help in so many areas aren't quite franchise players by my definition. Shout out to Isaiah Thomas, Demar, CJ, Kevin Love, younger versions of Dragic and Tony Parker, Blake, Kemba

This is one of the more reasonable takes on this thread. Even as a Suns fan, I don't project Booker to be on that Lebron, Giannis, Kawhi, KD level of stardom because these guys have clearly transcended the franchise player moniker even at an early age. I always saw Booker as a super 1B option to an alpha 1A and that's not a bad thing at all. I see Demar, CJ and Love as 3rd tier stars and right now I would put him in that tier. I think his ceiling is in the 2nd tier where Dame, prime Cousins, Wall and Butler is sitting.

[BloodNinja]

a franchise player can impact wins. Booker doesn't do that. "help" is irrelevant. the definition of "franchise player" is that they can carry the franchise without all-star help.

Lebron, Harden, AD, Giannis - these guys have proven that even without all-star teammates they can drag a team to the playoffs.

Some of those guys were labelled franchise players before getting their teams to the playoffs. Lets give Booker some time - he's so young still.

[Nowitness]

People keep saying Booker isn't efficient, but he's still SO young. With Ayton by his side and a hopefully a competent coach in Kokosov, he could end up being the best player on a great team in a few years.