Philadelphia 76ers: Determining how well Devin Booker would fit

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Devin Booker (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

In terms of fit, Booker can be what Markelle Fultz was supposed to be for the Sixers. Booker can be a secondary ball-handler next to Simmons that can create his own shot, while also spacing the floor.

Booker is an underrated playmaker at the shooting guard position. This season, he’s averaged 6.6 assists and 3.9 turnovers. The turnovers are a concern, but some of those turnovers can be explained because he’s the only legit star on the Suns so opposing teams can send a lot of defensive pressure his way.

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The Suns have also used him as a point guard way more than they should have, which also contributed to his turnover issues. Still, averaging over six assists per game for the last two seasons is an impressive feat for a player who’s primary position isn’t point guard. Having him and Milton share the point guard duties in the second unit should prove to be a positive for the 76ers.

The Sixers would need Booker to improve his 3-point percentage. This year, he’s shooting 36.0 percent on 5.6 3-point attempts per game. Hopefully, with the better offensive weapons around him, his numbers would naturally go up, but his improvement also is dependent on how Philly uses him as well.

There’s a good chance that Brown uses Booker like he’s used J.J. Redick in the past. Booker could be used to stretch the floor with a lot of dribble handoffs and off-the-ball movement. Redick had the best scoring seasons of his career with Philly, even though he was past his prime, so Booker should benefit from Brown’s system.

It should also be noted that Booker won’t be the clear cut first option on offense. Embiid is the best center in the game, Harris a legit scorer and Simmons can be a scoring threat when he’s aggressive.

He’d probably be the first or second option on offense most nights, and occasionally be the third option if Simmons or Harris get hot. There’s a good chance that his scoring numbers will dip if he’s traded to the Sixers, which is fine, as long as he can prove to be a closure that Philly desperately needs late in games.

This season, Booker’s made nine shots in the last three minutes of the fourth quarter and Phoenix had or maintained the lead after the make. He’s also missed 10 shots this season where the Suns were down in the last three minutes of the fourth quarter. Shooting slightly below 50.0 percent those situations isn’t bad at all, but the Sixers would need Booker to become even more clutch if the team wants to win a title.