2021 NBA Playoffs: Booker delivers in long-awaited playoff debut

The first five years of Devin Booker’s NBA career were nothing short of ugly. Booker and the Phoenix Suns went 121-280 from 2016 to 2020, hitting rock bottom in 2019 with only 19 wins. 

But nothing was perhaps more disheartening than when they missed the playoffs in 2020 after going 8-0 in the bubble seeding games. 

Booker remained diplomatic about the missed opportunity but the rest of the NBA world was heartbroken. Former Suns head coach Earl Watson delivered a prophecy after the upsetting news. 

“Devin Booker will never miss another playoffs again!” Watson tweeted. 

Watson’s prediction looks sound so far. The Suns went 51-21 this season and landed the 2-seed in the playoffs to face the Lakers in the first round. 

Booker, who has waited six years for his playoff debut, showed he was ready for the postseason with a brilliant performance in the Suns’ 99-90 Game 1 victory over the Lakers on Sunday. 

Booker scored 34 points on 50% shooting and had eight assists. Chris Paul, who was in and out of the game because of a right arm injury, said he was proud of Booker’s performance in his absence. 

“Book was great tonight,” Paul said. “Everybody’s been waiting to see him in a playoff game and you got to see it.” 

Booker will have to duplicate his Game 1 effort in Game 2 against a Laker team that lost the initial games of its first two playoff series last year and came back to win them. True to form, LeBron sent that message after the game. 

“We’ll be ready for Game 2,” James repeatedly said in his postgame interview. 

But so will Devin Booker and the Suns. 

“These are the moments we’ve been waiting on,” Booker said. “Coach Monty [Williams] always preaches when preparation meets opportunity. That time is right now.”