Devin Booker has become an absolute force to be reckoned with this postseason and is showing everyone up, including his 13-time All-Star teammate Kevin Durant.
The shooting guard has now scored 331 points this postseason alone, which is the most by any player in nine playoff games since Michael Jordan in 1990.
No one in NBA history had ever scored more than 300 points on 70 percent true shooting percentage in the span of nine postseason games. Until Booker on Sunday.
It is a far cry from the kid who was named Southeastern Conference Sixth Man of the Year at Kentucky.
In the current Nuggets-Suns series, Denver coach Michael Malone has exhausted every available option to try and contain Booker one-on-one.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been in step with Book, Aaron Gordon has had his hand in Book’s face. But he has still managed to record 83 points across Games 3 and 4 while shooting at the incredible rate of 79 percent from the field.
It is worth noting that of those 83 points, only 27 of them are from free throws and layups, which means Book is balling from three.
Not just that, he has the basketball IQ to recognise that he’s being targeted on offense, so Booker has been dishing out passes to players like Landry Shamet, Terrence Ross and T.J. Warren – while attracting defenders and giving his teammates a clear path to shoot.
Even though Nikola Jokic rallied to score a historic 53 points, four rebounds and 11 assists in Game 4, his team just can’t seem to keep at Booker’s pace.
“We know what the problem is,” Jokic said. “We know who we need to stop. But they are talented players—they [Booker and Durant] are the two best scorers, probably, in the league right now who can create a shot. We can send a double-team, and they can still go and make tough shots.”
When his amazing scoring and shooting feats are relayed back to him by reporters postgame, Booker isn’t fazed.
“Man, I’m just trying to win,” Booker said. “I always say, and this is something that I tell KD: Throw that efficiency shit out the window. I don’t care about that. Just keep going. Keep attacking.”
Denver have tried the double team and even when they do, Booker is still making those key shots and his coach Monty Williams is in awe.
“He looks for those moments to not just make those shots, but to send a message to his team that he can carry us,” Williams said.
In Game 3 when Phoenix were on the brink of elimination, Booker put on a masterclass of 47 points, nine assists and three steals.
At 26 years of age, the sky is the limit for this talented guard, who will no doubt etch his name in the history books for many more years to come.