Booker chills early MVP chatter
Devin Booker heard the “M-V-P” chant Sunday afternoon, but the Phoenix Suns weren’t playing before their home crowd.
It was teammate Kelly Oubre Jr. saying it while leaving the practice court area.
So that led to the MVP question Booker quickly shot down.
“We're 11 games in, man,” Booker said.
It's premature to talk about Booker being in the MVP conversation, but he’s putting up numbers that are simmering the debate pot.
Booker is only the third player in NBA history to average at least 25 points, while shooting at least 50% percent from the field overall, 50% from 3 and 90%
from the line through the first 11 games of a season — 25.5 points per game, 53.7% FG, 50.0% 3PT FG, 94.3% FT.
The other two players? Stephen Curry last season and Reggie Miller in 1990-91.
The question is: Can Booker sustain those numbers?
Curry and Miller couldn’t.
Curry had the points — 27.3 per game — but came up short on the field goal percentages — 47.2% overall, 43.7% from 3. He connected on 91.6% of his free throws.
Miller was averaged 22.6 points, shot 51.2% from the field, 34.8% from 3 and 91.8% from the line.
Curry and Miller didn’t win MVPs that season, either.
Giannis Antetokounmpo took it last season as Curry finished fifth in the voting while Michael Jordan won the award in 90-91.
Miller didn’t even get a vote despite leading the Pacers to the playoffs.
Booker understands how difficult this will be to maintain those numbers, let alone win MVP, but if he manages 25/50/ 50/90 for the whole season, check back with him April to talk MVP.
“Let’s go 80,” Booker said with a smile. “If I have these numbers at 80 games, we can talk about it.”
Sixty-nine games to go. Numbers and games aside, winning will ultimately decide if Booker remains in the conversation. Booker’s recent recognition can be directly correlated to how the Suns are playing so far this season.
Booker’s played well. Very well. He's played within the system and still been able to seize his moments, but just a couple of months ago, Booker was on the wrong side of the news.
He drew heat for not joining Team USA in the FIBA World Cup and even more heat for complaining about being double teamed in an open gym.
Now, Booker is an early MVP candidate. starter.
He entered this season wanting to prove more.
“For me as a player, man, it’s just to continue to evolve and to get better,” Oubre said at Suns media day in September. “I can’t tell you any goals, specific, but I want to be a first-team alldefense caliber player. I want to be a defensive player of the year one day. I want to be an all-star. I want to be somebody taken seriously in this NBA. Therefore, I’m going to continue to work until I do so.”
Lofty goals, but ones someone of Oubre’s talent can achieve, but let’s discuss the defensive ones.
Oubre has drawn major defensive assignments starting with LeBron James. He’s held his own at times, made plays, but given up his share, too.
All part of playing defense, but great defenders make far more plays than they don’t.
That’s Oubre’s challenge.