Despite only taking 15 shots through the entire game, Kevin Durant was a huge factor in Devin Booker’s big 45-point performance yesterday against the Clippers.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Booker finished with 45 points on 62% shooting to go along with 3 steals and 2 blocks. Why was Booker able to have such an efficient night scoring the ball?
Look no further than the spacing that Durant created for Booker all throughout the game. Even when Durant isn’t getting any shots, he’s making a huge difference on the team.
This answer from head coach Monty Williams about Durant’s spacing back last month rings true today after the kind of game Booker was able to have.
I asked Monty Williams about the increase in open looks for Devin Booker and the Suns getting more corner 3s as a result of Kevin Durant’s gravity. He gave a thoughtful response, noting it was Nate McMillan who first taught Monty the value of that kind of spacing: pic.twitter.com/HwlVq537U2
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) March 7, 2023
Now going back to after his game yesterday, Williams doubled-down this sentiment by calling Durant (in a jokingly manner) an expensive decoy after the big win last night.
“Even when we run him in actions … sometimes two guys go with Kevin when he comes off of a screen. So that opens up the floor for everyone else.”
In the higlight reels below, you can see in some of them action sets, that Durant is able to free up Booker to get open spacing buckets.
Devin Booker followed his 38-point Game 2 with 45 MORE in Game 3 🔥
45 PTS, 6 REB, 3 STL, 18-29 FGM@Suns now lead 2-1 in Round 1… Game 4 of PHX/LAC is Saturday, 3:30 PM ET on TNT. pic.twitter.com/fz6Imhe1dC
— NBA (@NBA) April 21, 2023
Booker after the game also discussed the shots that he got up in open space and he couldn’t help but tell his teammate thank you after almost every score.
You can’t leave [Durant], obviously. He draws a lot of attention,” Booker said. “A lot of the buckets I scored, I went right to him right after and said, ‘You opened that up.'”
This was the reason why the Suns traded for Kevin Durant. They lost two really good starters because of it and don’t have the depth they once did. But, they have a player that can help free up a 28 PPG scorer in the playoffs.
