If we have to point out the highlight of Devin Booker’s career progress, it would be the year 2021. Booker led the Phoenix Suns to their NBA Finals 28 years after the franchise’s last finals appearance. Yet to win an NBA title, the Suns have had their fair share of talented players. And Devin Booker certainly is at the top of the list.

Booker was drafted by the Suns in 2015 as the 13th pick in the first round. Since then, Devin has spent his life with Phoenix. Growing and progressing season after season, the 26-year-old guard has given glamorous superstars of the league a run for their money. Particularly, the LeBron-Anthony duo in 2021.

LeBron and co had a bloody encounter with Booker

Taking a look at the average scores of Devin Booker against the Lakers can give us an idea of why Phoenix has never let go of their star player. According to StatMuse, Booker has averaged 23.1 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.4 rebounds in 27 games against the Lakers in his career.

And nothing shows the depth of the damage he did to LeBron James and his caboodle during the playoffs in 2021. The Lakers were the defending champions, and Booker’s arrival broke it. Davis’ groin injury got him good, and he did not last in the game for more than five minutes. The trusty StatMuse provides the game scores in a nutshell.

Devin Booker tonight:

47 PTS (playoff career-high)
11 REB
8 3PT
15-22 FG

He is the first Suns player with a 40/10 playoff game since Amar’e Stoudemire in 2010. He is the first ever to do it with 5+ threes.

— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 4, 2021

See? Impressive. The Suns’ squad also featured veteran point guard Chris Paul and the young Deandre Ayton pushing forward without any mercy. Alex Caruso of the Lakers also left the court after just eight minutes because of ankle strain and then it was a one-man show by LeBron James.

That is not to say they didn’t do their best. LeBron was also riddled with injuries and with his best man not by his side, James was left to his own devices. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also needs special mention as he brought in 11 points when Bron got 14. Even though the fourth quarter saw the Lakers with 10 more points, it was not going to be enough to even create a dent in the Booker brigade.

Devin Booker now

The son of former NBA player, Melvin Booker, Devin has always had high expectations from himself. It’s always been a mental struggle within himself when he arrived at the NBA. In Kentucky, except for one game, Booker won every other. And dealing with loss wasn’t his best feature.

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But coming into the NBA taught him that losing was just as important as winning. It was something he had to work on, hard. This ‘never-fail’ mentality also cost him many locker-room relationships. Once he understood the value of consistent effort, he could prioritize his game plan and work as a team.

Fast forward to now and we can see a much more mature, grounded, and practical Booker. He still finds losing a hard pill to swallow, but Devin can see eye-to-eye with failure and work from it. With Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant now to back him up, Booker’s Suns might finally be able to clinch that title.

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