Kevin Durant and LeBron James have gotten most of the adulation following Team USA's 110-84 demolition of Nikola Jokic and Serbia during Sunday's opener for the Americans in the 2024 Paris Olympics men's basketball tournament.
However, Durant and James were not the only ones who went down to work and got the job done on the court against the Serbians. Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker also deserves praise, and among the many who gave him his flowers was no other than the legendary Dawn Staley.
“Devin Booker plays both sides of the ball, can score a whole lot of basketball points and can also defend. He’s like the quiet assassin of that group!” Staley said of Booker (h/t Saul Bookman of PHNX Sports).
Booker was part of the three-guard starting unit that Team USA paraded versus Serbia together with Jrue Holiday of the Boston Celtics and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. In 26 minutes of action, the former Kentucky Wildcats star provided 12 points on an efficient 4/6 shooting from the field. In addition, Booker grabbed two rebounds, dished out five assists, and recorded two steals, while finishing with a plus-8.
Booker is normally viewed as a shoot-first offensive weapon, especially in the NBA, but with Team USA loaded with all-time great scorers, he seems to be comfortable operating without much pressure to get buckets. He also appears to be using the Olympics as a stage where he can showcase his defensive abilities which have become underrated because of his brilliant ways on offense.
Booker's Suns teammate, Durant, led Team USA with a near immaculate offensive performance, as the former NBA Most Valuable Player dropped 23 points on 8/9 shooting from the field while also coming off the bench. Durant also nailed all his five attempts from the 3-point region. James, on the other hand, defied Father Time once again, as the 39-year-old Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward led all Team USA starters with 21 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists while going 9/13 on his field-goal attempts.
Devin Booker garners praises from fans online after Team USA's win vs. Serbia
Booker's performance in the Serbia game truly did not go unnoticed, with fans celebrating his contribution to Team USA on Sunday.
Many fans mentioned Booker's standout defense in Team USA's victory over Serbia.
“People forget that Devin Booker is the greatest shooting guard of the 2020s,” said @boobenholzer.
“Indeed. Book is an elite player and one of the best SG in NBA. Future HOF for sure..” chimed in @lizabetha_1.
“Booker defense has been underrated his whole career,” stated @AzZoglore.
“It's funny, those same people are surprised Booker is on the team; until they see him play. 😎” – @shills981.
“People stay sleepin’ on Book’s defense! Since 2018, he has improved dramatically on that side of the ball!” said Bookman.
“A little louder for the people in the back. 📢📢📢📣📣📣🇺🇸🔥🥇🏀” – @BudenholzerPHX
“Knew his role and played it to perfection” – @JoakimMuse
“Elite performance by Book. He understands his role and is excelling at it” – @wezzyupnext
“KD stole the show the first half but Booker nailed 2 BIG time 3s when the offense was searching.” – @TheNickelPkg
“Dude plays selflessly and plays defense and only takes shots when it’s a good shot and mfs say he shouldn’t start. He starts for a reason 💀” – @PKKANBA
Booker and Team USA will take a couple days of rest before getting back to action on Wednesday versus South Sudan.
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