Team USA basketball brought home their fifth straight Olympics gold medal with a 98-87 win over host country France. The trio of LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant were stellar as they've been all of the Olympics so far. But Team USA head coach Steve Kerr made sure to single out Devin Booker who was a key player all Olympics as per Ben Golliver of The Washington Post.
“Devin Booker is an incredible basketball player,” Kerr said following the game. “Nobody asked about him. He was our unsung MVP. I just wanted to say that.”
Steve Kerr has taken a lot of heat on social media for his Team USA decision making during the Olympics, but putting Booker in the starting lineup and playing him heavy minutes was certainly one of his best decisions.
Against France in the gold medal game, Booker finished with 15 points six rebounds and three assists. He shot 6-of-9 from the field, 2-of-4 from the three-point line and hit his only free-throw. Most importantly, Booker played the glue-guy role, the guy who doesn't need the ball in his hands and feeds off the team's go-to guys.
Last summer following Team USA's failure to even medal during the FIBA World Cup, Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma posted on social media that, “USA basketball better get some NBA stars that know how to play a role. Anybody can be nice with the ball in their hands but can you be cool with defending and going to the corner for a few possessions?”
Booker replied to Kuzma's post saying, “I'll do it.” And that's exactly the role that Booker played for Team USA to perfection.
Devin Booker can build on Team USA Olympic success with Suns
Following the Olympics, there's no question that Devin Booker is rightfully in the conversation when it comes to the best shooting guards in the world. He's played the go-to guy role with the Suns and he just proved he can adapt and play the role that's best for the team.
This past season, Booker was named to his fourth All-Star appearance while putting up near career numbers. He averaged 27.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.9 assists with splits of 49.2 percent shooting from the field, 36.4 percent shooting from the three-point line and 88.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Once the 2024-25 NBA season tips-off, the Suns will be entering the Mike Budenholzer era. Last season, the Suns overcame a slow start to the year to finish with the sixth seed in the Western Conference. They were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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