2015 NBA Draft picks: Phoenix Suns select Devin Booker
He was taken No. 13 overall.
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The top shooter in the class is off the board after Devin Booker was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft on Thursday night. Booker is also the fourth member of the Kentucky Wildcats to be drafted in the lottery, which ties an NBA record
Booker was one of the best of a hyped class of freshmen to join Kentucky last fall. The 18-year-old offers prototypical size for a shooting guard, measuring 6’6 and 206 pounds. He showed deft shooting touch during his lone year in college by hitting 41 percent of his three-point attempts.
In an NBA clamoring for more shooting at every corner, Booker is precisely the kind of prospect every team wants. He may not have elite athleticism, but he should be able to use his length to disrupt opposing players defensively, while getting open looks from beyond the arc on the other end of the floor.
Mike Lisboa of Bright Side of the Sun, SB Nation’s Suns blog, says Booker should immediately help the team coming off the bench.
I can see how Devin Booker was a tempting pick for Phoenix at 13. The Suns are badly in need of some consistent outside shooting and Booker would provide that in spades. He’s cheaper than Gerald Green and potentially less streaky. And given the knuckleheadery that plagued Phoenix last season, another high IQ player is a welcome addition to the bench. He’s also a guard from Kentucky and they are rapidly overtaking “lesser brother” as Phoenix’s trophy acquisition of choice.
Booker gives the Suns a quick dose of help at shooting guard, one of the few positions they haven't addresses in recent years. He can play in the backcourt with Eric Bledsoe and help space the floor. Phoenix has spent the majority of the past two seasons playing without a shooting guard. They can now begin moving away from that trend.
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