Devin Booker Named To 2020 All-Star Game As Injury Replacement

[RealGM Wiretap]

Devin Booker has been named by Adam Silver as an injury replacement to the 2020 All-Star Game for Damian Lillard. Booker will also replace Lillard in the Three-Point Contest.

Booker is averaging 26.4 points (10th in NBA) and 6.3 assists (19th) while shooting career bests of 49.6% from the field (30th) and 92.0% from the free throw line (2nd) in this his fifth season.

Booker’s selection is the 63rd all-time for the Suns and first since Steve Nash in 2012.

Via RealGM Staff Report

[lonea]

wet like book

well deserved

[mjvile]

This is exactly how it should be. A player that got selected first because his team is a higher seed and in playoff contention gets injured. We look at the lower seeded teams for replacements.

It’s well deserved as he is playing very well this year but all stars are more defined as players that make there teams win.

[grumpysaddle]

This is exactly how it should be. A player that got selected first because his team is a higher seed and in playoff contention gets injured. We look at the lower seeded teams for replacements.

It’s well deserved as he is playing very well this year but all stars are more defined as players that make there teams win.

Without Devin Booker and with all the injuries (and the Ayton suspension) to important rotation players that the Suns have had this season, they'd have the worst record in the league. Booker is the reason they have 22 wins this season. They had 19 at the END of last season. There's still 30 games left. He deserves it, team winning or not.

[BasketballJosh]

This is exactly how it should be. A player that got selected first because his team is a higher seed and in playoff contention gets injured. We look at the lower seeded teams for replacements.

It’s well deserved as he is playing very well this year but all stars are more defined as players that make there teams win.

Without Devin Booker and with all the injuries (and the Ayton suspension) to important rotation players that the Suns have had this season, they'd have the worst record in the league. Booker is the reason they have 22 wins this season. They had 19 at the END of last season. There's still 30 games left. He deserves it, team winning or not.

Meh. Not over Lillard. Or Mitchell. Or anyone named to the team.

[grumpysaddle]

This is exactly how it should be. A player that got selected first because his team is a higher seed and in playoff contention gets injured. We look at the lower seeded teams for replacements.

It’s well deserved as he is playing very well this year but all stars are more defined as players that make there teams win.

Without Devin Booker and with all the injuries (and the Ayton suspension) to important rotation players that the Suns have had this season, they'd have the worst record in the league. Booker is the reason they have 22 wins this season. They had 19 at the END of last season. There's still 30 games left. He deserves it, team winning or not.

Meh. Not over Lillard. Or Mitchell. Or anyone named to the team.

Over Mitchell for sure. Swap Mitchell and Booker, and Booker does more for the Jazz with the surrounding players than Mitchell does on the Suns with what there is to work with. Lillard deserved All-Star for sure. And the first name he put out there for his replacement was Booker. Multiple other NBA players also put Booker out for the easy replacement.

[Pickled Prunes]

Without Devin Booker and with all the injuries (and the Ayton suspension) to important rotation players that the Suns have had this season, they'd have the worst record in the league. Booker is the reason they have 22 wins this season. They had 19 at the END of last season. There's still 30 games left. He deserves it, team winning or not.

Meh. Not over Lillard. Or Mitchell. Or anyone named to the team.

Over Mitchell for sure. Swap Mitchell and Booker, and Booker does more for the Jazz with the surrounding players than Mitchell does on the Suns with what there is to work with. Lillard deserved All-Star for sure. And the first name he put out there for his replacement was Booker. Multiple other NBA players also put Booker out for the easy replacement.

Booker played 64 games for the Suns last season with an almost identical stat line. How can you give him the credit for their improvement?

I'm not saying he isn't an All-Star, but I don't see him as the reason for the teams better play. He is the same; the pieces around him are better.

[Dr Huge Pecs]

Lillard gave up his spot because the nba doesnt want phx fans to cry too much during the break. True story.

Lillard is not injured. The west has too many great guards. Lillard has been snubbed too many times...and is owed, plus is having a very good season.

Booker would have been an all star in his second year if he were in the east.

Compromise...lillard still an all star, booker an all star. Phx fans put down the guns...now on with the worst weekend in sports!

End the conferences already.

Nba= wwf

Sports ENTERTAINMENT...look it up

[grumpysaddle]

Meh. Not over Lillard. Or Mitchell. Or anyone named to the team.

Over Mitchell for sure. Swap Mitchell and Booker, and Booker does more for the Jazz with the surrounding players than Mitchell does on the Suns with what there is to work with. Lillard deserved All-Star for sure. And the first name he put out there for his replacement was Booker. Multiple other NBA players also put Booker out for the easy replacement.

Booker played 64 games for the Suns last season with an almost identical stat line. How can you give him the credit for their improvement?

I'm not saying he isn't an All-Star, but I don't see him as the reason for the teams better play. He is the same; the pieces around him are better.

The team has better players this season, but most of them have had multi-game injuries (or suspensions and injuries in Ayton's case). Booker and Bridges have been the constants this season, and up until the past month or so, Bridges has been going through the sophomore slump. Oubre has been very unpredictable in his contributions. He's either really good, or really negative impact. Booker is the constant, he's only really had maybe 3 or 4 bad games in 50+.

[TheCage4]

Here’s a novel idea: forego the conferences in the All-Star game. Compose one team of players from teams with winning records and one team with players from teams with losing records. Have the coach with the best record in the league take the losing record team, and the coach with the worst record take the winning record team.

14 teams with winning records and 16 teams with losing records. You can find 24 “star” players who now enter a game where they look across the court and have something to prove. The winners don’t want to lose, and the losers really want to win.

[Pickled Prunes]

Here’s a novel idea: forego the conferences in the All-Star game. Compose one team of players from teams with winning records and one team with players from teams with losing records. Have the coach with the best record in the league take the losing record team, and the coach with the worst record take the winning record team.

14 teams with winning records and 16 teams with losing records. You can find 24 “star” players who now enter a game where they look across the court and have something to prove. The winners don’t want to lose, and the losers really want to win.

It makes sense from a novelty perspective, but the number of teams with winning/losing records varies from year to year. I wouldn't watch that all-star game... but I'm not going to watch this one either.

[Pennebaker]

Congrats to Booker!

Sucks that he had to take the Mo Williams way in, but it's better than nothing.

[D21]

Without Devin Booker and with all the injuries (and the Ayton suspension) to important rotation players that the Suns have had this season, they'd have the worst record in the league. Booker is the reason they have 22 wins this season. They had 19 at the END of last season. There's still 30 games left. He deserves it, team winning or not.

Meh. Not over Lillard. Or Mitchell. Or anyone named to the team.

Over Mitchell for sure. Swap Mitchell and Booker, and Booker does more for the Jazz with the surrounding players than Mitchell does on the Suns with what there is to work with. Lillard deserved All-Star for sure. And the first name he put out there for his replacement was Booker. Multiple other NBA players also put Booker out for the easy replacement.

That's an interesting POV, and for example, ESPN RPM reflects that with Booker 10th at 2.83 among the SG, while Mitchell is 16th at 2.13

But in this POV, what about Dennis Schröder ?
1st in the league among PG with 4.70 (followed by Lillard at 3.57)

Schröder is paying the fact that he's coming from the bench, in a way like Gino did in the past, even if they play(ed) mainly against opponent starters
He's even not considered before his own teamate SGA, who's clearly a lower impact than him, mainly because of team defense level (Schröder is the one who makes OKC defense improve the most)

[Donnyxc]

Here’s a novel idea: forego the conferences in the All-Star game. Compose one team of players from teams with winning records and one team with players from teams with losing records. Have the coach with the best record in the league take the losing record team, and the coach with the worst record take the winning record team.

14 teams with winning records and 16 teams with losing records. You can find 24 “star” players who now enter a game where they look across the court and have something to prove. The winners don’t want to lose, and the losers really want to win.

It makes sense from a novelty perspective, but the number of teams with winning/losing records varies from year to year. I wouldn't watch that all-star game... but I'm not going to watch this one either.

Have to agree. I think that will also give incentive for players to leave small markets and create more superteams. Not that players aren't already "buddying up" I guess, but even moreso if it affects who you're playing with at the ASG.