There has been zero connection between Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford and Phoenix Suns rising star Devin Booker, but the former just gave the young guard a nice compliment. Hornets insider Rick Bonnell tweeted out the remark over the weekend:

https://twitter.com/rick_bonnell/status/960222529221664769

Jeff Hornacek, as you may know, played 15 strong seasons in the NBA. As a two-guard who can shoot, score, and defend, he was a one-time All-Star and a two-time 3-point shootout champion. His number 14 hangs in the rafters on one of his former teams, the Utah Jazz. He also had stints with the Suns and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Although Booker plays with more flash and is a more aggressive scorer, Clifford’s comparison makes sense to a certain degree. Before being the current head coach of the New York Knicks, Hornacek had the role with the Suns, where he had coached Booker, who was then a rookie, for the first half of the 2015-16 season.

Here's Hornacek in 2015, talking about how impressed he was with his teenage lottery pick, via Paul Coro of AZ Central:

“The kid knows how to play… You don’t have to explain a lot of things to him.  If there’s a pass to make, he makes it. If the shot is open, he’ll shoot it. He’s very advanced for his age so we believe he can contribute for us.”

The star of Booker can only shine and grow as he goes along, especially now that he has the team's offensive reigns all by himself with former backcourt partner, Eric Bledsoe, out of the picture. He has averages of 24.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game on the season, all of which are career-highs.