Moss Point's Devin Booker shows hot hand for Suns in rookie season
Devin Booker earned the label of sharp shooter during his time at Moss Point and Kentucky, but the NBA rookie has shot the ball better than anyone could have expected so far.
The Phoenix Suns guard is hitting 70.8 percent of his 3-pointers to rank first in the NBA among players with at least 20 attempts this season.
Booker has made 17 of the 24 3-pointers he has tried this year.
It's a small sample for Booker, but it's an impressive small sample.
He has been by far the NBA's best rookie behind the 3-point line with Frank Kaminsky of the Charlotte Hornets ranking second at 43.4 percent.
When Booker missed his lone 3-pointer in a 108-101 win over Minnesota on Sunday, it ended a streak of eight consecutive makes behind the arc.
"The good thing is that he's not taking bad ones," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. "Devin is doing the right thing, when the shot is there he's taking it, if not he's driving it and not forcing anything."
Booker's 3-point attempts are dwarfed by the likes of Golden State stars Stephen Curry (127-for-277) and Klay Thompson (70-for-161), but his play off the bench has been solid.
Booker, who has one start this season, is averaging 5.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 22 games this season for the Suns (11-15). He has hit 52.4 percent of his attempts from the field.
The 19-year-old Booker has scored in double digits four times this season with a season-high of 18 points coming in a 127-122 loss at Detroit on Dec. 2. He hit 5 of 6 shots from the field that night, including 3-for-3 pointers in 23 minutes of game action.
In the Suns' 103-101 win at Chicago on Dec. 7, Booker had his longest outing of the season. He hit 6-for-10 shots for 14 points and five assists in 33 minutes.
Booker has seen his time on the court increase over the last month after he fully recovered from a sprained ankle in the second game of the season following a 14-point effort in the Oct. 28 season opener.
Booker has responded well to the NBA's big stage so far.
"I never doubt myself," Booker told the Arizona Republic. "I always try to be prepared the most I can. If it's film, it's watching and studying. I always feel prepared. I'm always going to believe in myself to the fullest. Kentucky helped me out with that, playing on the biggest stage in college basketball. Every gym we played in was sold out."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This story was originally published December 15, 2015 at 3:10 PM with the headline "Moss Point's Devin Booker shows hot hand for Suns in rookie season ."