If AD doesn't get injured, this thread would never have been posted.
Has Booker surpassed AD as the best current UK player in the NBA?
- Thread starter MWes11
- Start date
But Randle hasn't been terrible in every game that matters, that's the point. He even posted good numbers these playoffs just not efficiently.
I'd take Booker after Randle's pitiful playoff showing. You can't be a legitimate franchise caliber player with that kind of performance.
He shot 29.8% and averaged 4.6 turnovers. He didn't shoot over 40% in a single game. I don't care what his averages are, that's disgraceful.
100% this
If we make it to the finals, he will be just a small step behind Larry.
If my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle. And Kamala hasn’t been to Europe
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And everyone thought Booker was not that good last year.
Same with Randle.
And they also think Fox is not that good now.
To compare Book to AD is ridiculous. AD is still a much better player. I actually believe AD's blessing of a late growth spurt, is now actually a curse with repeated lower body injuries. People claiming a player is "soft" when battling injuries such as a strained achilles and a groin strain, probably never have strapped it up competitively at a high level, that $hit is debilitating.
Think the biggest issue they have with AD’s injuries is what is he doing to prevent them? Is he getting good advice from doctors and trainers? Is he putting in the kind of work he needs to to be more resilient? Like most of us as young men, many of these players feel they are invincible and don’t get the rest they need or eat poorly, etc.
I don't think you'll ever see a period in the NBA dominated more by one college's players than you do UK players owning the NBA right now.
AD is the best when he's healthy, period. There's not a GM in the league that wouldn't take a healthy AD over Booker. I'm not sure most GMs wouldn't take KAT over Booker or Jamaal Murray over Booker. I know Booker is on fire right now, but career-wise he's not a particularly good 3 pt shooter. That said, Booker is probably my favorite UK player in the NBA right now and I am hoping the Suns win it all. I really like the Suns coach Monty Williams a lot. Seems like the prototype perfect NBA coach.
Love all the UK players and as soon as one team loses you've got another in the playoffs with a key UK player so we're spoiled and should just sit back and enjoy it.
AD is the best when he's healthy, period. There's not a GM in the league that wouldn't take a healthy AD over Booker. I'm not sure most GMs wouldn't take KAT over Booker or Jamaal Murray over Booker. I know Booker is on fire right now, but career-wise he's not a particularly good 3 pt shooter. That said, Booker is probably my favorite UK player in the NBA right now and I am hoping the Suns win it all. I really like the Suns coach Monty Williams a lot. Seems like the prototype perfect NBA coach.
Love all the UK players and as soon as one team loses you've got another in the playoffs with a key UK player so we're spoiled and should just sit back and enjoy it.
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I think a lot of people are suspecting AD's off-season habits. Probably too much time at the game console and not enough running hills. You have long periods of coasting and pizza then try to ramp it up and that is a recipe for injury. Like Charles Barkley said, AD is too young for these injuries if he has a healthy diet and exercise plan in the off-season.
AD doesn't look toned and that causes speculation. He looks like a guy slumped over on the couch with a game console and a large coke because his waist line is expanding every year you look at him.
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Randle isn't in the top 4. One decent year doesn't elevate you that much.
Booker
Murray
Davis
Fox
SGA/Randle
Booker
Murray
Davis
Fox
SGA/Randle
Which time? His problem ain’t just one injury, instead it’s that he keeps getting new injuries again and again.
I think a player being injury-prone is a valid factor to consider in discussions like this. They don’t do you much good when dressed in street clothes.
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Agree with this. Chuck named him "Street Clothes" for a reason. The best ability is availability. (And yes, I know this is short sighted with him winning the title just last year. But he has only played 70 games or more twice in his 9 year career.) Just knowing what we know now and his injury proneness, if you are starting your franchise, are you taking Booker or Davis? I think it is a legit question now and moving forward.
If you can guarantee AD is healthy, I agree, I wouldn't have made this OP. But he can't stay healthy. To @UK-chulo there have been rumblings going on that AD is not taking his rehabs as seriously as he should be. Whether that is true or not, who knows. He needs to make it a point to get his body right and make his body a priority so we can see him on the court dominating like he should be.
Will be fun watching Booker for the rest of this NBA playoffs, though.
He sure as hell hasn't developed Lebron's ability to play with injuries. I'd hate to see how bad Davis would limp around if he even had half of James' mileage.
Even before I strongly disliked him I thought his play style couldn’t last long, his game really seemed tethered to being the most dominant athlete on the planet, I thought as soon as he lost a step he’d fall off completely.
I’d venture to say he’s lost a step and he’s still a top 5 player, he’s become more of a tall PG and less of a slashing forward.
To this point I really don't care for much Lebron does off the court and some of the stuff he does on the court, but nobody can find fault with how he takes care of his body. He looks like he is in game shape year round. He may not be conditioned in the off season but he treats his body like the golden goose that it is. AD does not look to be in shape. Wall has suffered this for most of his career. Letting yourself go in the offseason and then trying to go hard for two weeks before the season is not what works. Only supremely genetically gifted players with obsessive workout ethics can party and still be on their A game. Jordan was one. Lebron is another. The list is short. Or you have to be basketball savant to get away with not being in prime shape like Luka or Jokic. And we've seen these guys changing their bodies.
Lots of fantastic players finish their careers with huge what-ifs because of not taking fitness and conditioning seriously. Shaq, Glenn Robinson and a host of others.
Devin Booker is a career 35.2% 3pt shooter which slightly puts him ahead of a so-so 3 pt shooter like LeBron James 34.5% from 3. Their defensive impact on the game is ridiculous to even compare so even with AD hurt so much it is ludicrous to think any GM in the country would take Booker over AD regardless of his injuries.
Yes…. Charles Barkley should be the standard for being in shape and taking basketball seriously 🥴
I don’t think anyone has ever said that Fox isn’t that good. He’s one of our top 5 NBA players right now and your average NBA fan would agree that he’s very good. KAT plays zero defense and is generally soft. Only time he ever plays 100% is when he’s going against Embiid
Two things I know;
1) AD has special, all time talent.
2) AD will never stay healthy and reach that special, all time talent.
1) AD has special, all time talent.
2) AD will never stay healthy and reach that special, all time talent.
You should pay attention the NBA media then. That narrative is already out there.
As far as KAT goes, prior to being injured his Defensive Win Shares were on par with Embiid, BAM, and Jokic. And we can all agree that those players do not play “zero defense”.
If he only played hard against one player, he would not average 25/11/5/1.
But oh yeah he’s “soft”. Soft players put up them numbers. Dispelling bs narratives is difficult. But not impossible. Research. Watch games. Just don’t believe everything anyone with wifi tells you.
The problem is, he did, he has a history of getting injured and he doesn't seem to have a tolerance to play with pain.
Give me the guy who shows up even though he might have marginally less talent.
Think he gets very close to a max deal. He played at an all-star level for the whole season minus the playoffs. Think the lack of experience got to him.
No one thought Booker wasn't good last year and I hear "experts" raving about Fox. You might not hear about him often because his team struggles, but I watch a lot of NBA and haven't heard negative talk about him.
Randle is a tougher case, always been a guy that could put up stats when he got the minutes. I think doing it as the main guy in NY is what elevated teh talk about him.
They claimed Booker was a good stats only on a bad team guy and could win. He needed the bubble to turn that around. Booker has been an injury replacement for the All Stars twice. Lol
Fox is getting the same. They claim Ja is better, Trae is better. Some even claim Melo is better. Fox hasn’t even reached All Star snub levels.
Same with Randle. I was here at Lakers games watching Randle come off the bench behind Larry Nance Jr or Kyle Kuzma.
Same was said about AD…. Can he win?
It’s all ridiculous
So if your doctor is overweight he doesn't know what he's talking about and is not qualified to give you medical advice? Charles was echoing what everyone is saying... AD has a problem with his diet and exercise because he still has those high school habits of laying around eating junk food and playing video games. But Charles is fat so obviously as a paid successful well liked and well respected NBA Basketball Analyst he is unqualified to make those statements because he is overweight. I guess Shaq is not qualified either. I think you're on to something.
You just said he Charles is a “well respected NBA basketball analyst”. Seriously. Lol.
He’s a talking head. That doesn’t put much thought or analysis around anything he says. The same guy that could label AD “street clothes” and then 2 days later on the same show lash out at the team doctors for AD playing. Lol
You wanna listen to that guy?
The same guy who was notorious for not working hard and didn’t reach his potential for poor work habits?
So in your Doctor example we will assume said Doctor has been trained and has knowledge on nutrition that is why we take their medical advice. You can take medical advice from someone who played basketball extremely well and is on tv because of their ability to talk out of both sides of their mouth.
He’s always been extremely intelligent in a basketball sense. He can play longer, due to as you said being a point forward now. He improved his jumper many years ago and that also helps but he won’t be able to take over and drop 50 when needed much these days. Instead of being a guy who can single handily keep a team in a series, he will need a strong supporting cast. We will see if he can play like that or if his ego is just to massive to make it work.
