Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams plans to give Devin Booker some minutes at the point guard spot next season.
Williams said Booker has the capacity to play the position because he has become a playmaker who is starting to make the right basketball play on a consistent basis (via Kellen Olson of ArizonaSports.com):
But after year one of locking Point Book away in the basement, Williams wants to bring him back upstairs next season.
“Anything I would like to explore would probably be putting Devin at the point guard position a bit more than I did last year,” he said on a conference call Thursday. “I think he’s at a point in his career where he’s making the right plays consistently.”
Booker has indeed become more adept at setting up his Suns' teammates off the dribble and working with Deandre Ayton in pick-and-roll sets.
The 23-year-old was averaging 6.6 assists through 62 games this season prior to the suspension of play due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Phoenix signed Ricky Rubio to be their point guard in the offseason, but Booker can get run at the one when Rubio is on the bench because he can create on the ball. Plus, as Williams indicates, Booker is becoming more polished offensively.
Booker's advanced metrics have gone up in each of the last three seasons, and he was averaging .129 win shares per 48 minutes, according to Basketball Reference.
The former Kentucky guard was having perhaps the best season of his young career, averaging 26.1 points while shooting nearly 49 percent from the field.
Booker has seemed to benefit from the growth of players like Kelly Oubre, and he might be even better with a higher usage rate next season.
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