A Friday night's fireworks show at the TD Garden in the form of Devin Booker‘s 70 points against the Boston Celtics has officially put the league on notice. But it wasn't just the fans at the arena or those watching the highlights at home that marveled at the 20-year-old's talent, but also his teammates — some playing alongside him and others dutifully watching from the bench.
“This puts him in a different category,” Phoenix Suns forward Jared Dudley told Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic. “Not even just the NBA, now the world knows about Devin Booker.”
After a couple weeks of poor shooting, Booker saw an opportunity with a sick Avery Bradley, the team's best perimeter defender, out for the game. The 6-foot-6 wing kept a decent pace through the first half with 19 points, but his team still trailed by 23 prior to the start of the third quarter.
Naturally, the Grand Rapids native would go on to have a 23-point quarter in the third, before a scorching 28 points in the fourth — notching the 70-point milestone despite a 130-120 loss.
For everyone saying but it was with a L.. ok 🤷🏽♂️ I watched a 20 year old turn The Garden around & heard them chanting his name
— Tyson Chandler (@tysonchandler) March 25, 2017
Teammate Tyson Chandler, who is one of the few Suns that has been shut down for the season to assess the growth of the roster's youth, was very complimentary of Booker's talents as a scorer, claiming that if he remained healthy, he could end up in the top 10 scoring list by the end of his career.
“God willing this kid stays healthy,” Chandler said, “I think he’s going to be a top 10 scorer of all-time.”
Devin Booker has only missed two games this season after being named the starting shooting guard by head coach Earl Watson at the beginning of the season. His 21.6 points per game average in his second season as a pro is a good sign to see for a player that can achieve a hefty career milestone of that kind. As Chandler said, health and longevity will be key if he is to reach that high a mountain, but the scoring talent and the assassin mentality are already there for Booker.
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