Devin Booker

[slightly biased bias fan]

Am I the only one that is extremely intrigued with Booker? He has a beautiful jumper thats reminiscent  of Ray Allen and is a real high I.Q guy, I'm not too sure if he'll still be on the board for our pick but I hope Danny drafts the best prospect and not just for position.

https://youtu.be/h8-X3t10dXw

[clover]

James Young with better shooting and maturity, but less length?

[slightly biased bias fan]

James Young with better shooting and maturity, but less length?

I'd say more Gordon Hayward.

He's also extremely undervalued because he was stifled in Kentucky surrounded by stars. I think if he played Booker in another lesser program he would be a high lottery pick, because he has great size for a SG (unlike a thin Young) and has great body control and feet movement along with the high basketball I.Q and shooting mechanics.

[slightly biased bias fan]

https://youtu.be/zkoA1hWlo1o

I know this is a highlight package but it demonstrates how many different ways Booker can score, which to this moment Young doesn't have and also how aware of his surroundings he is, as he isn't just a system guy with the cuts he makes and the steal he gets for the open basket

[Joe Green]

All mock drafts have him going before 16. That being said, we need outside shooting so if he falls to 16.. I am game.

[clover]

James Young with better shooting and maturity, but less length?

I'd say more Gordon Hayward.

He's also extremely undervalued because he was stifled in Kentucky surrounded by stars. I think if he played Booker in another lesser program he would be a high lottery pick, because he has great size for a SG (unlike a thin Young) and has great body control and feet movement along with the high basketball I.Q and shooting mechanics.

Just not Hayward's length, passing, playmaking, efficiency or ball handling.

[CFAN38]

James Young with better shooting and maturity, but less length?

I'd say more Gordon Hayward.

He's also extremely undervalued because he was stifled in Kentucky surrounded by stars. I think if he played Booker in another lesser program he would be a high lottery pick, because he has great size for a SG (unlike a thin Young) and has great body control and feet movement along with the high basketball I.Q and shooting mechanics.

Thin young?

Booker and Young are the same height 6'5.25" without shoes and young was 213 at the combine. Booker was 206 at UK preseason measurements.

[slightly biased bias fan]

James Young with better shooting and maturity, but less length?

I'd say more Gordon Hayward.

He's also extremely undervalued because he was stifled in Kentucky surrounded by stars. I think if he played Booker in another lesser program he would be a high lottery pick, because he has great size for a SG (unlike a thin Young) and has great body control and feet movement along with the high basketball I.Q and shooting mechanics.

Just not Hayward's length, passing, playmaking, efficiency or ball handling.

They both have limited wingspan in comparison to other prospects but are tall for their position (Hayward is a SF not a SG)

Booker shot .520% from the floor, .411% from 3 and .828% from the line so I don't know where you are getting the idea that Booker isn't an efficient scorer.

From even the video show he is a great facilitator when required and can understand when to make the pass (averaged 1 turn over per game) but as I alluded to earlier he was never able/required to demonstrate his full game because of who he had around him and the system coach K plays.

[slightly biased bias fan]

James Young with better shooting and maturity, but less length?

I'd say more Gordon Hayward.

He's also extremely undervalued because he was stifled in Kentucky surrounded by stars. I think if he played Booker in another lesser program he would be a high lottery pick, because he has great size for a SG (unlike a thin Young) and has great body control and feet movement along with the high basketball I.Q and shooting mechanics.

Thin young?

Booker and Young are the same height 6'5.25" without shoes and young was 213 at the combine. Booker was 206 at UK preseason measurements.

Maybe the figures are wrong because visually Booker seems more solidly built

[Celtics4ever]

Weaknesses: Lack of an explosive first step makes it dificult to keep defenders from crowding him ... Not an amazing run/jump athlete or physical specimen ... Has a small body frame (wingspan) considering his height ... Gets to the rim and foul line sporadically ... Average ball-handler ... Has not shown great instincts passing out of dribble penetration ... Lacks the strength needed to defend quicker and more athletic players’ dribble penetration through contact ... Needs to get stronger ... Unable to fight well over the top of screens ... Puts his body on the driver as they get inside the arc, resulting in foul trouble ... Could be a bit more aggressive (but controlled) on the defensive end ... He’s not long, as his wingspan is an underwhelming 6’6 ¼ ... Lacks the length to effectively contest shots in the perimeter ... Does not have the highest vertical (35.5 inches) ... Needs to improve his foot speed ... Low steal and block rates ... Does not rebound as well as he should for his size ... Struggles to score on half-court drives ... Very unlikely to penetrate or even seek to penetrate all the way to the rim if the defense is pressuring him with the basketball ... Needs to work on his left hand ... Gets thrown off his game when opponents get physical with him ... Does not create much separation off the bounce … Sometimes fades away on his pull-up jumpers ... Takes contested shots off the dribble … Will have to continue to round out his game so that he can develop into a more complete player at the next level ...

Strengths: High basketball IQ and 3-point specialist ... Good feel for the game and makes smart plays ... Sharpshooter who’s shooting release and form is mechanically sound ... Silky-smooth and lighting quick release with a soft touch … Has good balance and accuracy on his shot and releases the ball at its highest point ... Nice body control when shooting jumpers and driving/finishing at the rim ... Efficient shooter from the 3-point line (shooting 40 percent on 3-pointers) ... Great floor spacer ... Terrific scoring instincts ... Can hit big shots ... Possesses a deadly step-back jumper ... Makes shots from the corners and at the top of the key ... Strong free throw shooter (shoots north of 80 percent) ... Can hit mid-range jumpers (shooting 52 percent on 2-pointers) ... Tremendous range ... Ability to catch-and-shoot and make shots off the dribble ... Efficient shooter off pick-and-rolls and while coming off screens ... Takes good shots ... High-volume shooter and scorer ... A crafty and instinctual playmaker who can distribute to his teammates ... Willing to make the extra pass around the perimeter ... Unselfish player and wants to get his teammates involved ... Decent ball skills and the ability to drive with either hand ... Makes up for his lack of speed with good ball fakes, jab steps and hesitation dribbles ... Comfortable with attacking closeouts ... Uses screens well to drive the ball ... Does not turn the ball over at a high rate ... Can finish at the rim with powerful dunks and adjust to finish at the basket ... An underrated athlete with surprising leaping ability ... Elevates well off the floor ... Has a decent crossover ... Moves well without the ball and makes timely cuts ... Can run the floor well in transition (sees the floor, makes good passes and can score) ... Effectively uses baseline screens to free himself up for shots ... When his shot is not falling, he shows up in other areas of the game whether it’s rebounding or defending ... At 6-foot-6, 206, he has good strength and size for a two-guard at the next level and resembles a prototypical high-volume NBA long range specialist ... He’s capable of using one or two dribbles and pulling up from 15-18 feet...Can defend and contain players on the perimeter by using his lateral movement ... Smart defender, gives good effort and puts pressure on the ball ... Is rarely out of position on defense ... Uses his hands well to come up with steals and disrupts shots ... Exhibits good closeout speed ... Overall, he’s confident and tough player with a high motor

Strengths: High basketball IQ and 3-point specialist ... Good feel for the game and makes smart plays ... Sharpshooter who’s shooting release and form is mechanically sound ... Silky-smooth and lighting quick release with a soft touch … Has good balance and accuracy on his shot and releases the ball at its highest point ... Nice body control when shooting jumpers and driving/finishing at the rim ... Efficient shooter from the 3-point line (shooting 40 percent on 3-pointers) ... Great floor spacer ... Terrific scoring instincts ... Can hit big shots ... Possesses a deadly step-back jumper ... Makes shots from the corners and at the top of the key ... Strong free throw shooter (shoots north of 80 percent) ... Can hit mid-range jumpers (shooting 52 percent on 2-pointers) ... Tremendous range ... Ability to catch-and-shoot and make shots off the dribble ... Efficient shooter off pick-and-rolls and while coming off screens ... Takes good shots ... High-volume shooter and scorer ... A crafty and instinctual playmaker who can distribute to his teammates ... Willing to make the extra pass around the perimeter ... Unselfish player and wants to get his teammates involved ... Decent ball skills and the ability to drive with either hand ... Makes up for his lack of speed with good ball fakes, jab steps and hesitation dribbles ... Comfortable with attacking closeouts ... Uses screens well to drive the ball ... Does not turn the ball over at a high rate ... Can finish at the rim with powerful dunks and adjust to finish at the basket ... An underrated athlete with surprising leaping ability ... Elevates well off the floor ... Has a decent crossover ... Moves well without the ball and makes timely cuts ... Can run the floor well in transition (sees the floor, makes good passes and can score) ... Effectively uses baseline screens to free himself up for shots ... When his shot is not falling, he shows up in other areas of the game whether it’s rebounding or defending ... At 6-foot-6, 206, he has good strength and size for a two-guard at the next level and resembles a prototypical high-volume NBA long range specialist ... He’s capable of using one or two dribbles and pulling up from 15-18 feet...Can defend and contain players on the perimeter by using his lateral movement ... Smart defender, gives good effort and puts pressure on the ball ... Is rarely out of position on defense ... Uses his hands well to come up with steals and disrupts shots ... Exhibits good closeout speed ... Overall, he’s confident and tough player with a high motor ...

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/devin-booker

He sounds like a specialist down the road.  The lack of a first step is always of concern especially given our overall lack of guys who can create.

[Ilikesports17]

https://youtu.be/zkoA1hWlo1o

... it demonstrates how many different ways Booker can score, which to this moment Young doesn't have...

What? young was a better scorer in college where booker was just a spot up shooter in college. I completely disagree there.

Also every play in the video with the exception of 2 cuts to layups and one off the dribble midrange is a 3 or a transition dunk.

Thats not really a diverse offensive game.

However, I do agree that his intelligence would be really good in Brad's system.

Youngs is pretty similar. Mostly 3s and a few slashes to the bucket.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYKw3F_PxnI

[Celts Fan 508]

Triboy16f started a thread about Booker a couple days ago, check there, there were a lot of people in support of him (myself included).

[Evantime34]

https://youtu.be/zkoA1hWlo1o

... it demonstrates how many different ways Booker can score, which to this moment Young doesn't have...

What? young was a better scorer in college where booker was just a spot up shooter in college. I completely disagree there.

Also every play in the video with the exception of 2 cuts to layups and one off the dribble midrange is a 3 or a transition dunk.

Thats not really a diverse offensive game.

However, I do agree that his intelligence would be really good in Brad's system.

I agree that Booker was better while at Kentucky but he is shorter with less wingspan, which give Young a higher upside.

Honestly I hope Booker is gone when we pick, because that would hopefully push a big to us at 16. Ford mentioned in his chat today that some gms have him top 10.