Impressed Devin Booker raves about A.J. Dybansta's talent: "More advanced than his age"
Devin Booker is no stranger to high school stardom. Back in 2014, Booker was ranked as a five-star recruit in his class, graded as the No. 22 player in the country and the No. 1 player in Mississippi.
Fast forward a decade, and Booker is now in his 10th NBA season and is one of the best players in the league. Now, Booker is looking ahead to the next generation of basketball players and gave his stamp of approval to one high school star in particular.
On Friday, the Phoenix Suns guard shared his praise of high school phenom A.J. Dybansta with Andscape.
"You can already tell the maturity level," Booker said. "You can tell the competitive nature through the conversation. You can just tell when someone is more advanced than their age. I picked that up and gathered that from him early."
Like Booker, Dybansta is graded as a five-star recruit in the 2025 class by 247Sports. However, as a prospect, A.J. is on another level. The senior is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 class and is already the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft. On Dec. 10, Dybansta made his collegiate commitment, picking the BYU Cougars over programs like North Carolina, Kansas and Duke.
Devin Booker, Suns fall short vs Pacers
Circling back to Devin Booker, the 10th-year guard has racked up nearly every accolade an NBA player can earn. From All-NBA teams to All-Star appearances, Booker has nearly done it all. In his 10th season, Booker is still searching for a coveted NBA championship.
As Booker and the Suns attempt to capitalize on one of the best big threes in the NBA, they will have to shake a slow start to the season. On Thursday, Phoenix fell 120-111 to the Indiana Pacers, dropping to 14-12 through 26 games.
Booker finished with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting and dished out six assists as the Suns dropped their fourth game in their last six contests despite a heroic 37-point performance from Kevin Durant.
The Suns will have the opportunity to shake their skid with a matchup versus a lowly Detroit Pistons squad on Saturday night. Phoenix enters the game as a 6.5-point favorite but will be without Devin Booker due to groin soreness.