“He likes to kill, that’s who he is” - Monty Williams praises Devin Booker’s ability and mentality
Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams has hailed Devin Booker for his elite mentality and game-changing ability.
Booker been the ultimate offensive weapon for the Suns since the 2015-16 season. His mastery in attacking and fearless swagger have been nightmares for defenders.
Devin Booker is coming off consecutive 30+ point outings. During Friday's postgame interview, Williams praised Booker for his 32-point outing against the New York Knicks, saying:
"He's a good player. A lot of guys say they want to play on this stage, (Booker) really does... He likes to kill. That's who he is."
"A lot of guys say they want to play on this stage, [Booker] really does... He likes to kill. That's who he is."
- Coach Monty Williams
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The Valley of the Suns coach also observed how Booker's scoring spree fits with the kind of offense Phoenix have. He said:
"You know when he has it going like that, it's typically out of what we do. It's not forced, and I think that helps us because his shots are in rhythm. But then when he does go in isolation situations, guys are getting better at spacing off of that. He probably doesn't get enough credit for the passes he does make off of those situations.
Is Monty Williams' assessment of Devin Booker and Phoenix Suns correct?
With 6:28 remaining in the first quarter of the game against the Knicks, Devin Booker squeezed out of Jae Crowder's screen. Deandre Ayton moved into the paint, pulling Mitchell Robinson with him.
That left Booker alone with RJ Barrett. Jae Crowder moved from the screen to beyond the arc. Although DBook made the shot, Crowder, Ayton and Booker were playing like the typical Suns.
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First, Phoenix as a team is so pick-and-roll heavy that with a big man like Ayton rolling away after executing a ghost screen, defenders are bound to pull away from the pick.
Meanwhile, Crowder, a reliable three-point shooter, pulled Julius Randle to the arc, who was supposed to mark Ayton on this play. That left Booker not only in the perfect one-on-one situation, but also ready to recover from a missed shot (Ayton) or receive a feed in the arc.
This is just one play that describes how perfectly the Suns offense works together. On Chris Paul's pick-and-roll, Devin Booker's presence either pulls the opposition defense to the outside, or punishes them with threes if left alone.
Monty Williams is right in saying that Devin Booker, when he gets going, is in absolute sync with his team. He is not only a scorer, but can also run plays and pass the ball around when needed.