Johnson believes Booker is a misunderstood star in the league and claims the Suns superstar is extremely tough.
In an era where star players leaving their organizations to chase rings has become customary, Devin Booker is among the few players still with the team that drafted him. Booker will play the 10th season of his career with the Phoenix Suns in a few months.
Being one of the top guards in the NBA requires a certain level of mental toughness and the ability to have a mean demeanor against your opponents. Book is often overlooked for his competitive drive to win. After all, he is somewhat quiet when he is on the court. But when we look at his numbers, Booker has been consistently one of the most dominant guards in the modern era.
Johnson explains why Booker is misunderstood
Former NBA guard Avery Johnson has followed Booker’s career from a very young age. So, it wasn’t surprising when Avery clarified a commonly misunderstood notion about the Suns superstar. Johnson appeared on a recent episode of the Come and Talk 2 Me podcast, where he explained why D-Book is one of the toughest players in the NBA.
“A lot of times, he was kind of misunderstood,” Johnson said. “People think he’s just a cool guy. No, man, he’s got a mean streak. He’s tough. He makes tough shots. He plays at all three levels. He’s much more competitive on the defensive end. I think having this experience of losing in the finals you got to pick up your pride, get on the plane with Jrue Holiday and fly to Japan. That’s tough.”
Booker and Co. lost the 2021 NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Suns suffered a 4-2 loss in the series despite being up by 2-0 in the beginning. This loss is bound to leave bad blood between him and the then-Bucks players.
However, Booker kept that aside and did his best during the 2024 Paris Olympics. He accepted a reduced role to improve team chemistry. In many ways, Booker was the dark horse MVP for Team USA. After all, he averaged 11.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.
Edwards was impressed with Booker on Team USA
Booker is a vicious scorer, which he proved over the years with the Suns. In fact, he averaged 27.1 points in the 2023-24 NBA season. However, Booker didn’t shy away from taking a reduced role with Team USA to help them win a fifth straight gold medal at the Olympics.
The 27-year-old’s Olympic teammate, Anthony Edwards, recognized his sacrifice and praised him for how he played with Team USA.
“Book was guarding the best player, turning down shots. … Not gonna lie, I was impressed watching him,” Ant said.
Many may have overlooked Booker’s impact on the defensive end of the floor, but Edwards ensured to highlight it. The two stars have certainly bonded during their time with USAB. The Minnesota Timberwolves star wants him and Booker to run the show at the 2028 LA Olympics.
Considering that LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry may not play in the next edition of the Olympics, AntMan and D-Booker can undoubtedly fulfill the role of veteran leaders on the team.
