孤絕的太陽王：Devin Booker 例行賽最佳表現/尖峰時刻

If there's a new face joining the 2020 All-Star Game, it's going to be Devin Booker.

He was called "Klay 2.0" when he first entered the league. He had a kind face and could not see the hidden killer temperament in his eyes, but he shocked the league time and time again. In Arizona, where the spotlight was lacking, Booker relied on time and time again. Score crazy points and become the most dazzling light in the sun that is waiting for nothing. Last season, Devin Booker averaged 26.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game, which is comparable to any top guard in the league.

However, in four seasons, the Suns have only won 87 games, which has severely undermined his evaluation. However, that may all start to change next year.

As the No. 1 pick in the draft, Deandre Ayton, enters the second year of his career, the Suns added full-time point guard Ricky Rubio in the summer and traded for Dario Saric. In addition to the rookies selected, all signs show that Booker will be a good player in the new season. No longer just the "lonely Sun King", but able to become a real star! Let’s take a look at the surprises he has brought to us over the past four years:

1. First try cry

season：2015-16 (first season of career)
result:Pacers 97-94 Suns
data:32 points, 2 assists, FG 56.3% (9-16)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUvxlO1y5vI

"Let's put it this way, Booker is one of those rare players that you can always count on him to make the ball."
Mirza Teletovic, former Suns forward

Now looking back at the development of the 2015 ladder draft, it can actually be regarded as a fruitful year for the league: star (ace) level players include Karl-Anthony Towns, Kristaps Porzingis, D'Angelo Russell and others; however, in That year, the first person to score 30+ points in a single game was not these people, but Devin Booker, the 13th overall pick!

That's right, the 13th pick, the same man as Kobe Bryant.

Devin Booker, who just turned 19, scored a game-high 32 points on 9-for-16 shooting in a home game against the Pacers on January 19, becoming the first rookie in his class to break the 30-point mark in a single game. player, and was selected into the Rookie of the Year team, foretelling an extraordinary career as a scoring player in the future.

2,consecutive kills

season：2016-17 (second season of career)
result:Suns 100-98 Mavericks
data:36 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, FG 60% (12-20)

After his rookie year, Booker showed no signs of hitting a wall as he entered his second season. On the contrary, his scoring exploded, averaging 22.1 points per game, and his shooting percentage even increased instead of decreasing. He seemed to have taken over the torch of the Suns' future young master of the ZTE. . Although the Suns are still a weak team, when given the opportunity, Booker will still prove that he is a leader who can bring victory at critical moments.

In February 2017, Booker made his first buzzer beater, hitting the board with an extremely difficult mid-range shot at the Kings' home court, leaving Sacramento speechless. In this game, he scored 33 points, 2 rebounds, assists and steals. In the second half, he scored 26 points, already looking like a superstar. A month later, he performed well again, this time at the Mavericks' home court. He scored 25 points in the second half - including 14 points in the fourth quarter to take over the game, and a mid-range buzzer beater, smiling again with the sun. Leave the away game.

3. Conflict duel

season: 2016-17 (second season of career)
result:Spurs 105-108 Suns
data: 39 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, FG 54.5% (12-22)

Defeating the underdog Kings and Mavericks on his own will definitely not convince all NBA fans; what about defeating the Spurs, which has been the same for two decades, especially in front of Kawhi Leonard, who is both offensive and defensive? He scored 39 points?

The Spurs and Suns traveled south to Mexico City for a game. Although Leonard scored a career-high 36 points (at the time), Devin Booker once again showed his prowess, scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Suns smoothly defeat the Spurs 108:105.

Booker scored 39 points in the game, which was also a career high. Interestingly, he scored a total of 70 points in two Mexican tours in his career, and was nicknamed "Mexican Jordan" by the American media.

4. The peak of controversy

season: 2016-17 (second season of career)
result: Suns 120-130 Celtics
data: 70 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, FT 25-26

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN9p09LTErs

"I once saw Kobe mention the reason why he is different in an interview. Everyone thinks that 30 points in a single game is a lot, but he never sets limits for himself. This sentence is imprinted in my mind."
Devin Booker

The 2016-17 season can be said to be a great harvest for Devin Booker. During this season, he has grown into a dazzling star that cannot be ignored. Compared with Kawhi Leonard, it is not the end of the season, but scoring 70 points in a single game is! The Suns faced off against the Celtics. At first glance, it seemed like a digestion match with a determined outcome, but then a record that shocked the league happened in this game!

As expected, the Suns fell behind early. The team only relied on Booker, the only offensive point, to blast away. He scored 19 points in the first half. Until the third quarter, the team still only relied on him to score steadily. He scored 19 points in the third quarter. He scored 23 points in the quarter, setting a career high of 42 points. The Suns team also began to find that the only way to chase the score was to give the ball to Booker...

In the fourth quarter, the team decided to let Booker take the lead. He even took 11 of the team's last 12 shots. The Suns even resorted to foul tactics when they were 15 points behind, and continued to rely on Booker to score points to catch up with the score; In the end, the Suns returned without success, but Booker, who scored 28 points in the entire quarter, became the sixth man in league history to score 70+ points (the first five were Wilt Chamberlain (100), Kobe Bryant (81), and David Thompson (73). ), Elgin Baylor (71), David Robinson (71)), and he's only 20 years old!

According to "ESPN Stats & Info‏" data, this is the 11th time in NBA history that a single game has scored 70 points. However, Booker has also become the third player in history to score 70 points in a single game, but still had to face the team losing. The man of destiny. After the game, a team photo celebrating Booker also caused a war of words between the Suns and Celtics. Jae Crowder even retweeted the photo and responded: "I have never seen so many people feel sad about losing. Happy." Perhaps the best explanation of this extraordinary record comes from the opponent's trump card:

"I don't think anyone has ever seen a game like this. Down 15 points at the end of the game, calling timeouts and fouling. But obviously that's what they want to do, they want him to score as many points as possible. And I have to take my hat off. , he played really well today.”
Isaiah Thomas, former Celtics defender

5. Book victory

season：2017-18 (third season of career)
result:Eagles 103-104 Suns
data:34 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals

By the third season of his career, Booker has become a more stable scorer, averaging 24.9 points per game. Of course, there are also games where he shines: For example, in this game against the Hawks, he scored 24.9 points per game in the first half. He scored 18 points and exploded again in the fourth quarter.

In the last 110 seconds, the Hawks led 100-91 by 9 points. Booker caused 3 consecutive fouls and 7 free throws, plus a three-pointer and an assist, helping the Suns directly score 13 points. In the last 12 The score was overtaken in seconds and ultimately helped the Suns seal the victory.

If we are more precise, Booker made 7 free throws in the last 37 seconds, hit a three-pointer, and scored 10 points (plus an assist) in 37 seconds. The fans at the scene rang out MVP shouts - some fans said: This should be It was one of the most amazing performances after T-Mac's 35 seconds and 13 minutes.

6. Bring down the giant

season：2018-19 (fourth season of career)
result:Suns 115-111 Warriors
data:37 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists, 17 points in the fourth quarter

Devin Booker is one of the strongest scoring machines in the league, but he is still evolving. In the fourth season of his career, in addition to his scoring to a higher level, he also assumes the role of the team's main ball handler, averaging 1.5% per game. At a level comparable to the annual MVP, although the Suns have their worst record in recent years (19-63), they still have the ability to disrupt games, such as this game against the Warriors.

The Warriors once took a 16-point lead in the first quarter, and it seemed that the game was already clocked in early. However, things changed in the second quarter. Under the leadership of Booker, the Suns scored 40 points in the second quarter. They were even more uncontrollable in the second half, and the Suns took the lead in the third quarter. , the Warriors rely on Kevin Durant to stabilize their position.

In the fourth quarter, Durant was accidentally injured when he landed during an inside attack and retired early. The Warriors were in chaos. Booker seized the great opportunity and turned into a killer in the last 5 minutes, scoring 17 points, and even scored 13 in a row. points, and staged this great show of bringing down Goliath on his own.

7. Comparing with legends

season：2018-19 (fourth season of career)
result:Grizzlies 120-115 Suns
data:48 points, 3 rebounds, 11 assists

Even if he still cannot lead the team to success in the fourth season of his career, Devin Booker still becomes the focus of the league for no other reason. He has repeatedly performed exaggerated scoring performances, which is reminiscent of another 13th overall guard more than a decade ago. Bloodiness - Booker scored 59 and 50 points in two consecutive games against the Jazz and Wizards at the end of the season, making him the youngest record holder to score 50+ points in two consecutive games, joining the ranks of Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson.

However, three times in his career he scored 50+ points in a single game, but the team lost each time, which also made him write the most embarrassing record.

In the next game, Booker continued his explosive performance. Against the Memphis Grizzlies, he efficiently scored 48 points, 3 rebounds, and 11 assists on 19-of-29 shooting. Maybe because he wanted to switch the offensive mode, he did not force the score at the last moment, but kept passing the ball to his teammates. Changing from his past image, he continuously assisted his teammates to score in the last minute. Unfortunately, the Suns lost the game in the end.

8. Become the king in the rematch

season：2019-20
result:Sun 117-115 speed boat
data:35 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 3pt 6-9

The 2019-20 season was affected by the epidemic and was forced to be interrupted and restarted. If you want to pick a team that is the strongest after the rematch, it is definitely the unexpected and undefeated Suns.

Among them, Sun King Devin Booker definitely contributed. Booker's shooting percentage at the critical moment of the rematch (the game with a 5-point difference in the last 5 minutes of the fourth quarter) was as high as 71.4%, second only to Luka Doncic (75%). The +/- value is the best in the league. The highest is 3.4.

Facing the championship team Clippers, the Suns fought fiercely until the last 30 seconds of the fourth quarter. After Booker got the ball, he was closely watched by George, allowing Ricky Rubio to take a shot and miss. Fortunately, Mikal Bridges took the ball away and gave it to Booker. An opportunity, also facing George, Booker broke through and faced Leonard. He turned around and beat the Clippers under the joint attack of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. It was also a masterpiece of his career!!