There comes a time when the really good or great players earn the right to be called by their first name, and Devin Booker seems to have reached that point.
Clemson probably won't achieve special things this season, because they're not talented or experienced enough to do those kinds of things. But they showed last night they can give good teams all they can handle and have every right to beat them, and big Devin deserves most of the credit for that.
This is the kind of stuff you expected when you first saw him as a freshman. The combination of size, strength, speed and athletic ability made me think he'd be better than his brother.
But the stuff between the ears is important too, and from the very beginning Trevor had the aggression and assertiveness that Devin seldom possessed over his first three years here. Trevor might've taken some plays off here and there, might've been a bit lazy on defense at times, but when he got the ball near the rim he had one object: to tear the rim slap off. With Devin, too often we've seen him fade away and have too casual an approach.
But hey, better late than ever right? Seventeen games in, this season is defined by Booker's blossoming as a formidable, feared talent. Everything has come together to the point that just about everyone who faces him marvels at him in the aftermath. Opposing coaches have done it, and yesterday Lorenzo Brown paid him quite a compliment after he put up a career-high 27:
“He’s just strong,” Brown said in this article. “I thought (Howell) was strong but he’s about the strongest guy I’ve ever played against.”
As frustrating as it's been for fans to watch the Milton Jennings roller-coaster ride, it's been just as refreshing to see Devin rise up and become a story of potential fulfilled. There aren't many post options this season, so he's had to carry the load himself in the last five games by playing 38 minutes, 36 minutes, 36 minutes, 36 minutes and 39 last night. And he's been consistent while logging those extra minutes, scoring in double figures all five games. It's the first time in his career, by the way, that he's put together such a double-figure streak.
Entering this season, when he once again said he'd put the most focus of his offseason work into 3-point shooting, you doubted whether the light would ever come on for this kid. Now it looks as if Devin is writing quite the final chapter to his story.
A few thoughts from last night:
-- Clemson shot 0 for 7 from 3-point range in the first half, and at that point the Tigers had shot 10 of 56 from long range on the road this season. Not good. It certainly helped that Clemson finally hit some from the perimeter in the second half, but Brad Brownell was right: They need some of that earlier.
-- Looked to me like Booker made one mistake on a crucial play with a little less than two minutes left. Jennings had just hit a 3 to tie it at 57, and N.C. State ran Scott Wood off a high-post double screen. At first it looked to me as if Jennings fell asleep on the play, allowing Richard Howell to cut to the basket and get a three-point play. But on the replay it looked as if Booker overhelped on the perimeter, leaving his man (Howell) and forcing Jennings to race to cover Howell. Brownell said after the game that he instructed his guys not to over-help on Wood, and it looked as if that was a big lapse.
-- Brownell said going in he didn't think Clemson was going to be able to hold N.C. State down offensively; the Pack just had too many weapons. So it has to be considered a positive that the Tigers yielded just 66 points. State came in averaging almost 80.
-- One of the hurdles facing Brownell is the seemingly simple task of getting his guys to believe. He said last night that it didn't seem his guys really believed they would win early in the game. He's trying to get them to expect to play well instead of being surprised when they play well and have a shot to win. They did a lot to forge two late ties, but there were some big flaws in execution on offense and defense over the last three minutes. Were they surprised to be in that position? One could make the case.
-- Big stretch coming up for this team. A brutal three games in six days (at Florida State, Virginia Tech at home, Georgia Tech at home).
LW
No comments:
Post a Comment