Player-wise, much of the discussion about Team USA’s success at the 2024 Paris Olympics involves LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant. But another player stood out in the eyes of head coach Steve Kerr.
Via Ben Golliver of the Washington Post:
USA’s Steve Kerr at the end of his press conference: “Devin Booker is an incredible basketball player. Nobody asked about him. He was our unsung MVP. I just wanted to say that.”
Devin Booker flew under the radar during the Olympics, relatively speaking. But he was steady for most of the tournament. During the 98-87 win by Team USA on Saturday, the Phoenix Suns shooting guard had 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while making six of his nine attempts from the field.
Booker was willing to scale back on his usual scoring load in the NBA in order to better fit in with the star-studded squad in Paris. He also played defense and contributed a lot on offense even with James, Curry, and Durant getting more touches than him.
Overall in the tournament, Booker averaged 11.7 points on 56.8 percent shooting from the floor, 3.3 assists, and 2.7 rebounds. He also shot 56.5 percent from behind the arc.
Hopefully for Booker, who is now a two-time gold medalist at the Olympics, his success in Paris with Team USA would rub off on his Suns squad in the NBA in the coming 2024-25 season.
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