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The 2023 NBA Playoffs have given us plenty already, both in terms of team efforts and individual performances. However, what Devin Booker is doing is NBA History in itself. Books is posting insane offensive numbers so far this postseason. Logically this already led to a discussion if this is the best individual offensive display in an NBA Playoff run of 8 games or more. We sure think it’s right up there with Booker’s point tally so far in these playoffs unseen a number since the Michael Jordan era.
Devin Booker in the playoffs:
36 PTS – 6 REB – 12 AST – 78% FG
47 PTS – 6 REB – 9 AST – 80% FG
35 PTS – 5 REB – 6 AST – 48% FG
27 PTS – 4 REB – 8 AST – 53% FG
47 PTS – 8 REB – 10 AST – 70% FG
30 PTS – 9 REB – 7 AST – 48% FG
45 PTS – 6 REB – 3 AST – 62% FG
38 PTS – 1 REB – 9 AST… pic.twitter.com/uWqhfAT5YI— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) May 8, 2023
Breakdown of Devin Booker’s Insane Offensive Numbers This Postseason
Photo by Icon Sport
Devin Booker just broke yet another NBA Record with his game 4 performance vs the Nuggets to help his Phoenix Suns even the series at 2-2. Books dropped 36 points on 78% shooting and with this became the first-ever player in NBA History to record back-to-back playoff games with 35+ points and have over 75% shooting.
This is just the tip of the iceberg really with Booker propelling his Suns forward with his unseen-in-decades numbers, which are also combined with unseen-ever-before shooting accuracy. Of all the greats to play basketball in recent decades, Devin Booker is the first NBA player to record 331 points after 9 postseason games since Michael Jordan did that in 1990.
Booker is now averaging 36.8 points per game in the playoffs. This ranks him 4th overall in NBA History. The 3 better scoring records were all from the 60s – 1961 Elgin Baylor (38.1 points per game); 1962 Elgin Baylor (38.2 points per game) and 1965 Jerry West (40.6 points per game). However, none of them shot the ball the way Books does. Right now Booker averages 61.7% shooting this postseason and if he keeps that this will be the best-ever record in NBA History for a player averaging 30+ points. Currently, Shaq holds this record with 61.2% shooting during his 1998 NBA Playoff run.
Devin Booker is approaching best player in the world territory. pic.twitter.com/0M03o2CHv5
— Guru (@DrGuru_) May 8, 2023
But why stop there Books is currently averaging 51% on 3-pointers made. There had been only 8 players in NBA History to average over 50% from 3s and to score over 20 points per game. However, Booker stands alone as the only one ever to average over 30 points per game and to be shooting over 50% from 3.
To put the icing on the cake Booker is doing all that by getting to the free-throw line only 6 times per game. Only Steph Curry and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have ever averaged 30+ points in the postseason getting to the free throw line less than that.
Even if the discussion is still out there if this is the best-ever individual playoff run in NBA History, it sure looks like it’s right up there.
Can Booker keep it up going forward?
Potentially winning an NBA Title, which would be the first-ever for the Phoenix Suns franchise, will clearly solidify this performance from Booker as the best ever individual effort in NBA History. Even if he can’t go that far we believe Booker can keep his numbers up with ease.
Booker got double-teamed in game 4 vs the Nuggets after dropping 47 points on 20 of 25 shooting them in game 3. Still, Books shot 14 out of 18 in that game 4 and scored 36 points, while also dishing 12 assists. Clearly, he’s in the zone right now and maintaining this historic efficiency is well within his capabilities based on what we’ve seen from him in the first 9 games of this postseason.
However, in the end, it all comes down to winning matches and this is what Booker himself wants to be judged on:
“Man, I’m just trying to win,” Booker said. “I always say, and it’s something that I’ll tell KD, like throw that efficiency s— out the window. I don’t care about that. Just keep going, keep attacking, keep being aggressive.”
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