Scouting Report: Devin Booker

Devin Booker is a shooting guard from the University of Kentucky. Booker is 6’6 with a wingspan of 6’6. For the year, Booker is averaging 21.5 minutes per game, 10.1 points per game, 2.0 rebounds per game, 1.2 assists per game, while shooting 46.1% from the field, and 40.6% from three.

Pros:

• Willing passer
• Lights out 3 point shooter
• Team player
• Good lateral movement

Cons:

• Lack of explosiveness
• Average athleticism
• Takes a lot of contested shots
• Struggles on the defensive end due to lack of length and strength

Overall:

In summary. Booker has a beautiful stroke and is a natural shooter. He has good awareness to find open teammates when he comes under duress. Booker’s offensive game features two big flaws in that he takes a lot of contested shots, since he does not drive to the hoop, and the other is he is very hot and cold and does not have consistency yet. Right now he is in a bit of a slump, but with that being said he has taken this opportunity to become a better team player and focusing on improving his teammates.   Defensively the lack of height and length make Booker easy to exploit for faster stronger players. Although he struggles on this side of the court he is always trying to improve and works on this part of his game greatly. Booker has been gaining a lot of traction in becoming a lottery pick for the upcoming 2015 NBA draft, but be weary of his potential as he is mainly just an offensive threat with not a lot of room for improvement on the defensive side of the ball due to his lack of length and athleticism. With all this being said, Booker should be a good sixth man at the NBA level that can fill in for injuries and not have the team miss a beat. He may never be a star, but he will be a good role player for a contender.

Pro Comparison:

Jamal Crawford

Booker and Crawford can both flat out shoot the ball, and have nice, smooth strokes. Both are offensive minded players, who do not offer a whole lot on the defensive end. Both players have the ability to tally a few assists per game but a much more likely to look for their own shot first. Crawford, like Booker only needed one season to get his name into the lottery conversation. Once drafted it only took a few years of development for Crawford to find his groove and become an outstanding 6th man, which is exactly what Booker can turn into. Defensively, Crawford has the length to guard most opponents but shy’s away from playing defense, so this is an advantage towards Booker since he at least tries on that end. Being a 6th man leads to not having to play as much defense as a starter and allows for you to focus more on your offensive game and this is what Booker needs to thrive.

By: Mac Crowe @Mac_Truck17