Is Devin Booker a Franchise Player?

[DeathLineup]

Of the participants in Las Vegas for this year’s camp in late July, Devin Booker—who signed a five-year, $158 million extension with the Phoenix Suns last month—was the youngest. He was two days shy of his 19th birthday in his NBA debut back in 2015; his 22nd birthday is exactly two weeks after the start of the 2018-19 season. In short order, however, Booker has become one of the most polarizing players in the NBA, a projective device for what should and shouldn’t be valued in the league today.

Booker is a “good stats, bad team” player, a label pregnant with negative connotations. But whether you see Booker as a future All-NBA player or the beneficiary of a grossly imbalanced roster on the league’s worst team over the past three seasons, you inevitably come back to team context. It creates a feedback loop: His development on a bad team for the first three years of his career can be spun as either a positive or negative. His lows paint his production as empty calories, while his highs reach near-historic levels. Booker averaged 24.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists for the Suns last season. Only 15 players in NBA history have averaged at least 24 points, four rebounds, and four assists in their third season in the NBA. The only player to do it who was younger than Booker was LeBron James.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/8/13/17681826/are-we-sure-devin-booker-franchise-player-phoenix-suns

[Raps2018Champs]

Nope. He doesn’t play defense.

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

[DeathLineup]

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.

[Funcrusher]

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.

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

[koningcosmo]

i went for hmmm no, because im not convinced yet. He got alot of hype for his 70pt game but hasnt really progressed since.

[DeathLineup]

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.

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

Just saying that a player can still be considered as a franchise player without being a good defender. But the player must be an offensive powerhouse though.

Booker is still so young. He still got time.

[Roddy]

Yes, for a 25 wins team.

[tribulations]

I think yes, but not a strong yes.

He has the makings of a modern franchise cornerstone but his full potential is untapped.

[Xherdan 23]

I'm treating "franchise player" as "best player on a contender" so I think it's between "Mmm, no" and "hell no" and it's closer to the latter.
Booker is a scorer and a pretty good one for his age but I feel like a true franchise player needs to be more than that. Unless he becomes a plus defender or improves his playmaking I'd say he's not even the best player on a playoff team.

[Dez]

Hell no, he's incredibly overrated.

[HeartBreakKid]

Depends on what you consider a franchise player. He has top 20 potential for sure. He has a lot of weaknesses to his game but he's not in his prime yet so I dunno why people like to harp on him. I don't think he's a good player now, but he is only 21.

[SichtingLives]

I saw the 70 point game. I still say no.

[ThumbsUpBaby]

He can be, just like how Westbrook. The question is whether he can lead his team to a championship.

For the time being, I'd say no, but he can change my mind.

[SlowPaced]

The 70 point game is all people talk about when it comes to Devin Booker. The guy put up 25-4-4 at the age of 21. That's far more impressive and gives you far more valuable insight about his future outlook.

I think he can become a full on offensive anchor. He can shoot, drive, create his own shot and make plays. He really improved as a playmaker last season, if he keeps developing, he'll get there.

[Tiesto_Lakers]

I wanted hmmm hell no but that wasn’t an option.

[76ciology]

Depends on which franchise

[lambchop]

tough to judge due to PHO losing culture. His low scoring nights are often due to few shot attempts and not being aggressive, he rarely has truly bad shooting nights. But I can see that since they're losing on purpose, simply not attempting shots is a viable strategy

[illuminati666]

For him to be doing what he's doing at his age is remarkable. I think as of now, he can undisputabley be a franchise corner stone for a team to build off of. He will be a superstar and Phoenix has a bright future with him and Ayton.

[OkcSinceSGA]

I put hell yes. He's only 21. He's a monster already and has a crazy work ethic. Watch what he does with more help this year.

[Hesh]

i went for hmmm no, because im not convinced yet. He got alot of hype for his 70pt game but hasnt really progressed since.