Scott Bordow

azcentral sports





As the Suns say goodbye to this season and hello to the draft lottery and the future, one question has to be resolved: Who’s the point guard of the future?

Is it Eric Bledsoe, or one of the top two point guards in the draft – UCLA’s Lonzo Ball or Washington’s Markelle Fultz?

On Sunday, before the Suns took on the Houston Rockets at Talking Stick Resort Arena, coach Earl Watson seemed to throw another name into the mix: Devin Booker. And he did it while comparing Booker to perhaps the NBA’s Most Valuable Player this season.

“I don’t know if I’ve said this publicly before, but he reminds me a lot of James Harden,” Watson said.

Watson made the comparison after he was asked about Booker’s assist numbers being on the rise since Bledsoe was shut down for the season. In the four games heading into Sunday’s contest, Booker, the de-facto backup point guard to Tyler Ulis, had averaged 6.8 assists to go along with his 39.3 points per game.

MORE: Tyler Ulis continues to impress with near triple-double

“When Devin Booker took off at the end of last season, he was at the point,” Watson said. “He had a lot of 30-point games. This year he’s had a 70-point game. It’s not a coincidence.”

Watson said Booker, like Harden, has an “old game for his young age.” Some around the NBA thought Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni was nuts when he said before the season that Harden would play the point. But D’Antoni was convinced Harden would thrive at the position because of the way he controlled Oklahoma City’s offense when he had the ball in his hands.

“He was averaging seven or eight assists. It wasn’t a big leap of imagination to think he could get up to 10, 11, 12 assists a game because he has that ability to set other players up,” D’Antoni said. “And he also wants to set other players up. James was a natural for it.”

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Watson believes Booker has that same talent and aptitude. He also sees similarities in the way Booker plays.

“He plays at his own speed,” Watson said. “He plays not fast, but it’s quick. Not blazing, but somehow he dunks on you. He can shoot, he can handle, he can pass and he can post up. He’s very versatile.”

Could he see Booker being a full-time point guard in the future?

“I think if that’s possible, James will open up the door for him to do that,” Watson said. “You definitely see him with the ball in his hands down the stretch. It depends on the roster and creativity and vision of the program.”

Free throw

The Suns were without forward T.J. Warren (flu) and Leandro Barbosa (hamstring) Sunday, but rookie forward Dragan Bender was expected to see his first game action since having ankle surgery on Feb. 8. Watson said he anticipated Bender playing about 10 to 15 minutes.

“We’re excited to have Bender back,” Watson said. “He’s a part of our young core.”

The Rockets were without Harden (acute viral syndrome) and forward Ryan Anderson (ankle sprain). Trevor Ariza was not with the team because of personal reasons.