Getty Devin Booker, Suns, at right as Lakers forward LeBron James defends
Is Phoenix Suns star, Devin Booker comparable to Kobe Bryant?
“I see a little bit of that,” ESPN’s Jay Williams told me on a recent episode of Heavy Live With Scoop B.
Booker played quite outstanding basketball at the NBA bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
While the Suns went 8-0 in the bubble, Booker averaged 30.5 points, 6 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 33.8 minutes a game for Phoenix.
With that glimpse of Booker, the Kobe comparison is easy to make for some. But Jay Williams went even a step further. “I also see Ray Allen combined,” he told Heavy Live With Scoop B.
“D-Book doesn’t have the same Ray Allen athleticism back in Milwaukee, but like the — I’m talking about the dagger shooting Ray Allen, right? But with that Kobe pinch post 2-guard operation — one of the things that I give him a lot of credit that his handle is underrated bro. His handle has gone up like this. I worked out with him at the (Under Armor) Elite 24 game when he was in high school. He was not like that dog…He was not like that at Kentucky, but his game every year dog and that trajectory is scary for where he CAN be. I guess it would be more like Seattle Ray but, you know Ray was crazy athletic though, remember? I don’t know if D-Book has that type of athleticism in him.”
BOSTON – JUNE 17: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers stands alongside Ray Allen #20 of the Boston Celtics in Game Six of the 2008 NBA Finals on June 17, 2008 at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright: 2008 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
That’s high praise. Ray Allen is no slouch. Selected fifth in the 1996 NBA Draft, he went on to become a two-time NBA champion; one with the Boston Celtics and one with the Miami Heat.
The Naismith Hall of Famer is also a ten-time NBA All Star. He’s also a record-setter. Allen has hit the most 3-pointers in NBA history at 2,973. Allen was also a recipient of good screens from his big guys which allowed him to shoot with space from the 3-point line.
Being a recipient of good screens and catches couldn’t have been truer than Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs when Allen had one of the most clutch shots of his career.
With 5.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Spurs had a 95-92 lead in the game and a 3-2 lead in the series.
Allen hit a game-tying 3-pointer that sent the game into overtime. The Heat won Game 6 and Game 7 and won the series.
In 1300 NBA games player, Allen retired from basketball and has career stats of 18.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per contest.
The thirteenth pick in the 2015 NBA Draft out of Kentucky, Devin Booker has career stats of 22.5 points, 3.6 rounds and 4.7 assists per game.