Devin Booker Opens up About Playing with KD, Talking Trash, Learning from CP3 and His NBA Journey

Devin Booker Opens up About Playing with KD, Talking Trash, Learning from CP3 and His NBA Journey

Welcome to the old man of the three with JJ reick and Tommy alter brought to you by 342 Productions this is episode 218 Devin Booker uh probably not a secret uh I am a fan of basketball and I am a fan more so of certain players than other

Players and that’s okay I I have no problem admitting that uh everybody knows my fandom of Derek white I’m a Devon Booker fan have been for a long time I love how he goes about the game you know one thing Mike Breen said to me recently Devin Booker is a guy that

Could play in any era and I think that’s true uh he’s tough he’s got a lot of skills a lot of different skills he can pass he can shoot he can score at all three levels he’s a competitor and that’s what I think I appreciate the most about book

Uh spent some time with him in Phoenix on Friday can’t wait for you guys to hear this conversation uh one of the best players in the NBA four-time All-Star First Team all NBA a couple seasons ago uh Phoenix of course fighting for position in the Western Conference which brings me to our

DraftKings sports book segment I want to talk Lakers and Kings real quick big game Wednesday night in what will ultimately have some major implications in the Western Conference the Kings right now in seventh place tied in the Lost column with the Phoenix Suns and the LA Lakers tied in the last column

With the Golden State Warriors but they have played three more games so they are in ninth place right now uh kings are interesting to me because they had this I don’t want to call it a Cinderella run they were a really good basketball team last year but they got the three seed

Last year now battling to secure a top six seed this season uh dearen Fox sabonis having great Seasons the Lakers on the heels to be honest with you on the heels of the six seed Phoenix the Sacramento Kings in seventh and the Dallas Mavericks in eth how about

Anthony Davis he’s having to me an overlooked all NBA type season this is a guy who’s averaging uh 25 points a game 12 and a half rebounds 3.6 assists the most assists he’s had for a season in a Lakers uniform and of course the Steals and blocks we’ve touched on this

Recently he is to me having not only an all NBA season having an all defensive type season his Rim protection the numbers say he’s been excellent uh he’s second in the NBA in blocks I think it gets overlooked sometimes because of LeBron because of some narrative stuff um but Anthony

Davis is a fantastic player he’s also not a guard he’s not a guard a lot of the gripes sometimes with Anthony Davis is like oh he’s not assertive well he’s got to get the ball give you an example Anthony Davis he’s third in post-ups this year he shoots 56% on post-ups

After the Denver Lakers game uh last Saturday uh everybody was griping about Anthony Davis he he’s got to shoot more blah blah blah guess what he had one post up that game and as far as I remember I don’t remember them trying to

Post him up um he he’s he’s got to be in a position his teammates of course coaching whatever it may be he’s got to be in a position to succeed on the offensive end um you look at the western conference right now current championship odds uh in the

West Lakers at plus4 Kings at plus 3,000 you can also bet on Lakers playoff odds Kings play playoff odds uh Lakers at minus 130 to make the playoffs Kings at minus 350 to make the playoffs and for the Lakers to not make the playoffs they’re at plus 105 for the Kings to not

Make the playoffs they’re at plus 260 and again to make the playoffs means you secure a top eight seed and right now what would be a fascinating 910 playing game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors LeBron James Steph Curry uh looking forward to this has been our draftking

Sportsbook segment download the draftking Sportsbook app now and use code JJ new customers who deposit $5 or more can get a no sweat bet up to $1,000 back in a bonus bet if your first bet loses only on DraftKings Sportsbook with code JJ the crown is yours gambling

Problem call 1800 Gambler or in West Virginia visit www.1 1800 gambler. net in New York call 8778 hope Andy or text hope Andy 467 369 in Connecticut help is available for problem gambling call 8887895118 void in Ontario one no sweat bet per new customer issued as one bonus bet based

On amount of initial losing bet bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance see dk.com promos for deposit wagering and eligibility restrictions terms and responsible gaming resources let’s get to Deon Larry BD won’t return my call he won’t return my what’s that about I disrespected Larry Bird what’

You say I said he was a top 10 player ever and one of the greatest shooters ever but he’s not a top five three-point shooter ever and that’s disrespectful so you won’t hear from him again I hear from Larry Legend pretty sure Larry wasn’t GNA return a request

Anyways did you collect uh basketball cards as a kid all cards all cards Pokemon no all sports cars all sports cars yeah I still have them do you yeah they’re not they’re not the best cars but at the time they were the thing to

Me do you buy cards now I don’t okay I don’t do you collect much either like that you know that first pan deal that everyone does as a rookie I kind of cut that short and you I always had an interest in it because I like collecting things so I

Understand the value that your rookie card is probably going to be your most expensive did you collect other things when did you realize you like to collect I think it’s just a lifestyle you know you can just start in a closet over full closet and trying to get rid

Of things you just have a certain attachment to everything in there and I just feel like that with everything at the same time of always wanting to be a little organized so it drives me a little crazy there’s a I don’t know you well but I from the

Outside there there it feels like there’s an order to your life there’s a structure there’s a attention to detail there’s like a correct me if I’m wrong there’s an obsessiveness to your sort of day I’m not saying you don’t go off the map sometimes but there’s like an

Obsessiveness to the day is that accurate I feel like that’s every driven person though everybody that you know is is good at your craft and I know at least everybody that I respect and have idolized since you know being a kid has kind of had those same traits you’re

You’re the same way yeah I just sometimes I don’t like how my brain works yeah bro I used to watch you during your shooting time you must have been one of the earlier groups cuz it was my first two years in in the NBA and

I would watch you in the back you know they just have have the the standing camera on there where they like zoom in to somebody else but I remember just vividly watching your whole entire workout and just seeing the speed you were going at the mindset you had like

It was it was all your game shots at 100% full speed Nobody Does that I’ve I’m so jealous when I would watch guys like dear yeah in warart Luca in warm-ups they just go they go at like 50% speed yeah like I can’t I can’t

Do that I wasn’t good enough to do that first of all what speed do you go your warm-ups I mean I think it just all depends on the night IID say 85 I don’t want to strain or get nothing off but I’m definitely ready to go by the time I

Leave it’s interesting uh when I played yeah I I was I to your point I was very like locked in about the routine of the day right the routine of my pregame meal my nap my shoot around my pregame shooting my stretching routine my Mobility work all that stuff

I was so locked in I didn’t pay attention to like how guys other guys warmed up it wasn’t until I got to the other side and retired and I’ve called a few of your games and like it’s weird cuz like there is a different energy some nights for

You is that purposeful can you control that no you can’t control it it’s just finding the new motivation for the day you know what I’m saying it’s you know it could be the smallest things and you know I’ve had this conversation with a lot of players like you know what it

Is going to be that day that might have you pissed off a bit or just I don’t know whole different energy like it’s nothing that’s planned but you know every game’s not the same as much as people want to say like you treat game 20 the same as a playoff game like

I try my best but you know there’s just something with the energy that you know just brings you to that level the the the static energy the static motivation mhm you’re now four-time All-Star First Team all NBA a Max contract signature shoe which we’ll get to in a second

What’s the static sort of motivation the static energy that you bring on game 20 on a Wednesday night in Portland like what what what is like the what is the drive what is the drive because you’ve kind of you’ve kind of done it right this is the reason I’m asking is because

I’m really fascinated by great players who are great again and then are great again and then all of a sudden you look up and you’re like oh no that [ __ ] was great four years ago and now he’s better than he was four years ago and you’re you’re one of those

Guys you’re one of those guys you’ve consistently got better even though you had greatness early yeah well we’re getting our ass kicked early nobody cares about you when you know you score 30 and lose like nobody hated me then or disliked me then like that that comes when you start winning games

Like I guess when you’re some sort of a threat you know I would word it as but you know it’s in music it’s in every industry I just feel like early on you know when you’re out the way and just doing your thing people are are cool

With it but you know when you turn into a threat I start I feel like that’s when you start hearing about yourself there there’s a there’s like a narrative around that right um and we were talking earlier and you said to me you were like people think I didn’t talk

[ __ ] till we started winning and I just want to let the audience know that Devin Booker as a rookie was talking [ __ ] to me from day one that’s who youve down 20 down 20 in the Staple Center yeah um I it’s it’s funny because CP when when I his first

Year here uh when I talk to him he’s like no Devon’s Devon’s a psycho and I’m like yeah no no I I saw that in 2015 2016 I saw that right away yeah I’d say I don’t know where that came from where I just started doing it as of late but I feel

Like you know trash talking is is a lifestyle it’s something that you know the environments that I grew up in we’ve been doing that since we say yay high you know what I’m saying since I was this tall like in everything we did though not just basketball so um

I’ve been around some creative witty guys that you know have delivered some of the best lines ever in my dad’s open gym and you know I’ve heard some great things in the NBA but you know there’s art to it there’s obviously been some back and

Forth with you and Luca and I had a conversation with RJ and legler um I don’t know if it was the end of last season or the beginning of this year but we talked about how there are essentially no more rivalries in the NBA and some of that I think is

Because there’s more player movement and so the same teams we we’re not getting the Heat versus the next four straight years in the playoffs we’re not getting the Bulls Jazz I mean obviously we had the Cavs Warriors but right now we’re just there’s so much parody and so much

Player movement we’re not seeing that as much do you have any insight as to why you don’t think there are as many player rivalries or team rivalries in the NBA today and also by the way do you think it would be good for the NBA if there was more more [ __ ] talking between

Certain players more [ __ ] talking between certain team teams yeah I mean I I like like I said the environments I grew up in that’s you know that’s how the game was played and you know most of the guys that I idolized you know did did the same and

The guys that I still idolized do it um I say there’s no real rivalries because you know I say Grassroots basketball like a lot of these guys we’ve we’ve known for a really long time and um I think people just realize that you know it’s it’s not that deep half

Time like people always say oh they’re not about to fight out on the court they’re not about to do that yeah that’s a half a million dollar fight like yeah no we should nobody should do that but you know I don’t you know I haven’t heard it too many times where like crazy

Lines were crossed on the court um but it has happen and you know I’ve seen people handle it behind the scenes um in the correct way like men should um but it’s usually not that happed to one of your teammates recently oh yeah that was but you never

See that happen no and you can’t even do it in the tunnel now like when people meet me in the tunel you still get suspended you know what I’m saying so like if somebody still feels that way out and you guys run into each other at dinner and whatever was said on the

Court was that that deep then it it can be handled then but it’s it’s usually not that big of a deal think of yourself as an agitator at all agitator agitator competitor competitor 100% yeah yeah so the [ __ ] talking is part of what the [ __ ] talking is part of what

Makes you get in the mode get in the mindset sure it’s not to agitate it’s like essentially it’s a s it’s a selfish thing it’s for you 100% like I that’s how I grew up though and everything I had an older brother I have a I have a

Dad that’s the same exact way so it’s always been competition from NBA live before NBA 2K you know we were talking [ __ ] on there so um but believe it or not I usually don’t start it but all I need to do is hear like any little thing and well that’s

What that’s what sick [ __ ] do yeah that’s what sick [ __ ] do that’s part of what we were talking about the like the motivation of you got to constantly like look for it you got to look for it um um going back to the obsession and the uh

Just the attention to detail so the audience knows um we are recording this right now and the setup right to get to this point where we could record required Devon to move a bunch of items to look through the camera lens multiple times we got three cameras here I

Cleared the bar man I cleared my bar I wasn’t trying to promote just i l it I I loved watching I literally sat here in this chair it was a long process I enjoyed every bit of it I can’t the Nike creative people doing your shoe how much

Back and forth was there with that it’s going on right now where is my phone um no it’s been it’s been great it’s been fun I think you know the first thing that they they told me with the partnership is like keep doing it like

This is how how we get better this is is how you know we just improve as a collaboration so you know I’m that is what I’m obsessive over is is the shoe cuz you know it was just always a dream of M I used to draw sketches as kid all

Through school put my signature on there like and now to relive that and actually be able to do that with in my opinion the best company in the world you would draw your own signature shoe as a kid yeah so this was this was always in in

The vision plan I mean I think in a lot of kids Vision plan like the like idea of having a shoe with Nike it wasn’t in my vision plan it wasn’t in mine do you think do you think I I think about this did you collect sneakers though you collect

Things man I have money for sneakers honestly and I’m not I’m not trying to play victim here I just like we just didn’t have money for sneakers that hey that was the hunt that’s what that was the best part about it sometimes when I got I got two boys and

Uh they play basketball now and you know I’m I’m buying them Nike shoes right and they’ve probably they’re it’s March right now they started playing this season back in October and they probably each been through like four or five pairs of shoes and man every time I [ __ ] hit that order button on

Nike.com I’m just so grateful I literally am like they don’t know and someday they will be grateful they don’t know but it’s it’s wild to me it’s wild to me more waiting in lines I’ve done that a couple times camped out for some Jordan as an NBA player no no no no no

No no no no like at a sneaker store oh you’re sing off your Nike Elite account I don’t have a Nike Elite account anymore I’m retired bro they don’t I wasn’t a big you adid I’m tripping I was a at the end of the end of my career the

End of my I was with Nike for I did Nike Au Duke was Nike first 10 11 years I was with Nike my Air Max 90s man they get a lot of wear they get a lot of wear I I was going to ask you though because I

Think with certain guys uh whose fathers played at a high level like in some ways I think and I’m I’m I’m like grappling with this right now with my own kids in just like what is a realistic dream what seems attainable obviously if they turn out to

Be 5 foot n like two little white kids they’re not they’re not going to be in the NBA why not there just it’s it’s unlikely I’ll just say that it’s un well you can’t you got to for sure make sure they don’t feel that way no they do it

Why not shooting it like Gass them up more than anything I gassed them up more than anything yeah but did did your dad playing at a high did that did that sort of give you any more confidence did it did it make the dream seem more attainable 100% um and that relationship

Grew even more when when I moved to Mississippi in high school cuz I grew up in Grand Rapids Michigan and I totally had an older brother that’s who I was chasing from a child on and I think just having the having an older brother and just

Wanting to play with his friends be on the court with them at the same time as knowing that my dad’s playing professional basketball overseas was like a great combination CU I was always with the older kids then I moved with him and I was always just around people that were older than me

So at the Young ages I feel like those age gaps definitely matter my brother’s three and a half years older than me so 10 to almost 14 like and I’m holding my own with them guys always play up always play up got to always play up I played

Up back with your own age you’re like you guys don’t know nothing about this you don’t know nothing about this the NBA season is in full swing and when I Can’t Get Enough the action on the court I spice things up betting on DraftKings sports book an official sports betting

Partner of the NBA right now new customers bet five bucks and get $150 instantly in bonus bets there’s a massive game Wednesday night in Sacramento the LA Lakers visit the Sacramento Kings in a game that has major implications for the Western Conference standings North Carolina listeners don’t forget draftking

Sportsbook is now live in your state download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and use code JJ new customers can bet five bucks to get $150 instantly in bonus bets only at draftking Sportsbook with code JJ the crown is yours gambling problem call 1-800 Gambler or in West Virginia visit www.1 1800 gambler net in

New York call 8778 hopen or text Hope NY 467 369 in Connecticut help is available for problem gambling call 8887895118 varies by jurisdiction void in Ontario bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance see dk.com bball for eligibility and deposit restrictions terms and responsible gaming resources we’re approaching that time of

Year when the sun comes out and the weather is perfect for a nice little outside barbecue and if you’re anything like me you have to have some music playing outside and the best way to listen is the allnew move to by Sonos the move to is a powerful and portable

Smart speaker for listening all around your home and Beyond connect to Wi-Fi at home or Bluetooth for listening on the go and stream music podcasts and audio books from all your favorite Services I take this this thing everywhere with me inside outside the golf simulator everywhere and don’t worry about the

Elements this powerful and durable speaker weathers Sun splashes sand and accidental drops with ease enjoy easy control with the Sonos app Apple AirPlay 2 and your voice mix and match with other Sonos speakers to create the ultimate sound system for immersive home theater and multi-room music uh I remember reading this article

Your rookie year Zack Zack low from ESPN wrote an article about your rookie year it goes into you know your your history and sort of how you got to the NBA um there was a quote and I don’t want to I don’t want to butcher the quote in there

Um but there was something in there from Zach that said your dad taught you that basketball IQ was as important as skills and athleticism um two questions on that that’s what you need to be telling your kids that’s that’s all I coached them on is it’s weird it’s weird too cuz like with

My oldest in particular he takes criticism so well and I’ve been on him lately he’s he’s fast he’s a good athlete right I’ve been on him lately about he gets a steal or a rebound in traffic again these kids are nine and 10 years old like you have to be

Cognizant of who you’re passing ahead to I like that you see some passes you also have to be cognizant of time and score are they on a run are we on a run and like this year especially he’s like starting to figure that out but man there’s certain practices where he makes

Those dumb Thro aead passes it ends up in a turnover I’m on his ass that’s like that’s basketball IQ to me right recognizing the that’s a layer right there a layer you just peel back a layer yeah it’s a layer for a nine-year-old to process for any aged process process so

[ __ ] I’ll do it we all did it like it’s funny cuz like I think you’re a smart basketball player I think joic is a spart basketball player I think LeBron’s a smart basketball player it’s not like every smart basketball player only makes Smart basketball plays we all do dumb [ __ ] we

All do dumb [ __ ] as a kid what did like basketball IQ to me I IQ mean to you even just through high school as a McDonald’s all americ at Kentucky even early in your NBA what did it mean to you and then how did your sort of own

Basketball IQ evolve once you got to the NBA just being a student of the game I think that’s what it comes down to like just loving it um just watching it different ways just really wanting um to be better and I don’t know it it’s kind of hard to

Put the word you just view the game differently than than everybody and still learning like there’s there’s a lot like the game constantly evolves at the same time as as us so I feel like year in year out there’s like a a new trick or trade to

To figuring it out what do you mean by us when you say us say it yeah them ones yeah yeah them ones that that is I one of one of the best points you can make on this MH the evolution of the game is based on the best players the reason

That teams play the way they do now can be directly related to Steph Curry right yeah it’s it’s the truth at some point somebody’s gonna figure out how to [ __ ] guard yic and Murray in the two-man game at some point one day one day one day maybe maybe if Aaron

Gordon’s not lurking in that dunker spot but like seriously like I think strategy analytics all this stuff like it’s fine like it’s great X’s and O’s misdirections all that stuff is great the game is evolves as the best players evolve and I love that you said us you

Like that oh man I love that you said when you got to the NBA did it did it feel Overwhelming it this part of it the thinking part of it the IQ part of it not the talent part of it I know you I know you knew you were talented enough I used to watch a lot of NBA games so and like a lot of my training

You know credit to my to my pops was like tailored for NBA basketball rather than even high school like I that’s what we were on yeah and I was I was just never the most athletic or or fastest so just finding other ways to to be effective you mentioned the you know

Playing playing on bad teams early on um obviously that was bothersome at as a competitor the difference between bad teams balanced teams super teams I’m very curious to sort of get into this with you because I I think about uh basketball and narratives a lot because I have to do

It I think about the day-to-day pressures of being an NBA player and it’s all sort of related to expectations and and pressure pressure you put on yourself pressure you put on your team um and like fit right so when you came in as a young player and you guys weren’t very

Good and you were putting up numbers I think there was like this sort of sentiment that he was like a good player on a bad team like a uh an empty scorer did you feel that did you hear that you forgot the catch and shoot out of

College first that’s what it was about that it was just not even three and D guy they just call me a three guy the I’m sorry I got re bothered by the by he’s only a catch and shoe guy I mean that’s what I showed at Kentucky though

But the benefit of being at Kentucky was in the practices is when all the coaches were there and that’s when we just scrimmage against each other but we had a system we coach C was we’re playing platoon system five in five out that was the year that they were you guys were

Doing that yeah nobody’s doing that or I don’t remember a team doing that ever um yeah so that was first 3and D there was a there was a moment your your rookie year I’ll get back to my question a second there’s I’ve told Jess this a million times there’s a moment your

Rookie year I’m I’m living in Manhattan Beach and I watch League Pass every night and I’m with one of my young children in the living room and watching the Suns game and like you were in the rotation but like your minutes were kind of like up and down your rookie

Year and I don’t know why this is like seared in my brain but the announcers were talking about you and they like pan to you on the bench and in TV when they put up like Devin Booker last seven games 13.4 points it’s called a lower

Third so they Pand to you there’s a lower third something about your statline and you had this [ __ ] look on your face and it was this like it was a it was a smirk it was a smile and I was like oh [ __ ] that [ __ ] is a

Killer yeah you were like the it was it was the focus you were not it wasn’t you sitting on the bench like laughing joking with the teammate we’re probably losing I know you were I was going to say we’re probably losing and you were on the bench yeah straight from Kentucky

Like we lost one game the whole season to getting our head beat in every night that’s not easy bro losing every night and that’s tough to do like you have to find like we talk about motivation like you’re going into games kind of knowing the situation knowing we’re in the

Rebuild but we’re going to have to play our best game ever to to win tonight and I was down for that every night and I was pissed off every time we lost I I told you earlier a couple hours ago that like my my one year in Orlando I had to

Sort of reframe what winning was it was my seventh year and we in a rebuild did you go through that process the first four years at all because I understand a little bit rookie year being like this is new I’m 19 I’m 20 years old and I’ve got to sort of

Find my way in the league I think every young player has to do that but the consistency you’re to now year three now year four now you’re still going through this did you have to reframe your mindset about what winning was at all did you did you did you lose at all for

Any moments that sort of like competitiveness no no never I told you it’s a lifestyle it’s not it’s not even basketball based this is just this is everything so um I would say like I never walked into a game I knew our odds might have been

Lower to win but I always felt like I said if we play a great game we’re g we’re going to win tonight even when we’re 15 and 50 like okay we got who next game no we’re about to do this tonight so it’s just the constant repeat

Of that waking up and like just loving the the whole process of it and kind of seeing the light at the tunnel like being being a young player and having opportunity is you know the greatest thing that you can ask for you know to be thrown in the fire and play through

Mistakes and still get to be on the court like you know I feel like the game has changed a little bit to where you know teams are either in like a win now or rebuild mode but I’m just trying to win every night you know what’s funny Richie I I I

Didn’t Reas the question but he just he just answered my question the question the question was just the the differences for you from playing on bad teams balanced teams really good teams obviously made the finals and now playing on a super team and I know the

Answer I don’t have to ask it again it’s a lifestyle it’s a lifestyle I I [ __ ] love that do you you’re averaging a career height assist this year um you guys I think one of the sort of the discourse around the team is like I don’t have a true point guard I don’t

Have a true point guard do you feel like when you’re early in your career you’re talking about getting thrown of the fire you’re getting obviously to develop but you’re not necessarily playing winning get basketball there’s I think there’s a difference right not that you’re not you weren’t playing selfish basketball but you’re not

Playing winning basketball do do you feel like your your sort of early playmaking development did that get stunted at all or did you feel like you were still like growing in that in terms of being a facilitator yeah that helped me grow you know what because you got the ball in

Your hands yeah I had the ball in my hands and you know just the evolution of first you’re the guy that they leave open on the court then you hit a few shots then they take away his threes and you drive by him you know you get a you

Get a easy look or a easy midi like all right we got to take that away now to the point to where you cause enough pressure where they have to double team you and that’s what you know it turned into so just seeing different coverages seeing different defenses every night um

You know in playing through I had high a lot of high turnover games um but still just having the chance to to grow and learn that and now just seeing after seeing so many defenses like it’s kind of like a a database of like 1 2 3 4 five this is what all

They’re they’re doing three tonight but playoff basketball is better because that’s when people are making their adjustments game to game you or possession to possession to where you don’t even know what to expect as as you sort of developed through through all that to get to where

You are um you you don’t have a a Instagram famous uh personal skills coach how do you sort of evaluate uh within the season out of season sort of what your weaknesses what your strengths are what you need to keep working on like what does a workout look

Like for you in the off season as you’re sort of like oh I need to get better at this like how do how does that all work for you are you watching film are you doing second Spectrum stuff or you like I or is it all in your in your own

Database I got a brother and a dad and some close friends that were keep it real real with me game to game too um and they know I’m open to that and then sometimes I might tell them you don’t know what the [ __ ] you’re talking about you know what I’m

Saying you never know but um no even if they say it you know I hear it um that’s what that’s why I fell in love with this game in the first place we just talked about the evolution of it but you know at the same time you

Can never perfect it you know there’s always going to be somebody doing something better than you how have you sort of gotten better against blitzes in your opinion where do you think you struggled maybe not struggled but where do you think you were easier to just get

Off the ball versus now like how how have you sort of evolved as a player your top three I think jayen has overtaken you in the second spot for most blitch player in the league this year yeah but that’s that seems like something that happened for sure early

On in your career I always think back to like game six and game seven in that Dallas series where was like we’re just going to Blitz them every single time right and in some ways it was a good strategy and and it worked uh they ended up winning that winning that series I

Don’t know that like since then the strategy has worked as well so how did you get better cuz that that’s that to me is a foreign thing for me and I think for a lot of people it’s like what to be double to be blit no just like well I

Would get blitzed on like catch and shoot sometimes like Nick nurse [ __ ] Nick nurse Nick nurse in the 2019 playoffs with Toronto like every nobody blitzed nobody blitzed me when I would do a dribble handoff with Joel and be because they were so worried about Joel embi on backside Toronto was

Probably the best team in terms of scram Ling and getting in rotation that year they were insane so Nick nurse was comfortable he’s like we’re just going to Blitz every time that Ben or Joel goes to a dribble handoff that was like the only high volume blitzing I got in

My career so I’m fascinated as someone who sees it every single night how you evaluate what your options are and how you still find ways to like score at such a high level I mean I think it’s just spacing I think it’s the spacing behind the Blitz and you know making

Sure you know your team has those packages to you know cuz a blitz can come from any different way um depending on the spacing of the floor or what point you have the ball so I mean I’m always with getting off the ball and you play Advantage Basketball on the

Backside and it should be a a layup the France cut what we call out the corner they can go for the lob and the Other Guys shake down to the corner like you guys call it the France cut yeah so this is I want to be clear two on the ball

You throw to you throw the big in the middle and it’s what golden state does with kaming and Wiggins out of the corner and then you get the lob it’s a FR or or to the corner three yeah I didn’t know it was called a France cut

That’s what we call it I don’t I don’t want to give credit if it got to do the research on it but the other thing that you guys I think do and partially it’s you brought up the spacing but you also have a shitload of when you guys are

Healthy you have a shitload of shooting you know I I talked about this in a couple early games um that I called of you guys it’s like a lot of times it’s like you and Kevin are next to each other so obviously you can hit nerk nurkic in the

Middle but a lot of times the next pass on the perimeter is you guys is that sort of the spacing you’re talking about right it’s like the next available guy is a guy that you absolutely have to rotate to I feel like everybody we have out

There is that is that guy though um and yeah obviously we have some things to to figure out but you know I think that’s going to be you know not the coverage for for people to do you know and and I feel the same way like when teams double

Team Kevin and I’m on the court you know what I’m saying we we’re going to take that as an insult and um be aggressive and make you pay for it and make or Miss I trust anybody on that backside Grayson Royce Brad K like you’ve been to the finals

Um I think the league you talked about like the best players evolving I think the league has evolved I think the parody right now in the west is just [ __ ] insane um Boston obviously a really good team Milwaukee there’s a number of good teams in the Eastern Conference in sort of assessing this

Team and I have to do this at times I’m asked to do this it’s like you guys are really [ __ ] good when you’re healthy I mean there’s the fourth quarter issues MH which I don’t know if you want to talk about that but overall like your level of just like confidence and Trust

In in sort of the top seven in this group right now do you feel like you guys are good enough like you you you obviously know at this point in your career whether you’re not you’re good enough to win it all of course um like like even those guys I just

Named just everybody on our roster I believe in but I do understand um you know how much like the details matter and how Much Chemistry matters and um you know it’s never the case of you know the biggest names win or whoever they say is a super team wins

Like the game is way more complex than that my favorite thing is is the the big man hub the big what’s this it’s like obviously yic is like the ultimate big man hub yeah sabonis nurkic is like a big man hub yeah I just I think part of what

Makes offense is so hard to guard in today’s NBA obviously the spacing but the fact that there’s guys like nurkic or sabonis or joic you can post jic for sure you can run pick and roll with uh him and Jamaal Murray for sure but you could also just

Throw him the ball and just like move and play around that that’s what they do I know I know but like nurkic is the same way yeah he’s to me he’s like super underrated what what is he done just for this team because you obviously played with other guys I think he’s different

Than the bigs you played with 100% um just IQ you know just having basketball conversations and being able to talk through certain situations is the most impressive to me um and you know he will come with his own some things he’ be like yo me and Dame used

To get this all the time L you know let me try that out um you know so it’s just an ongoing conversation and a relationship that is developing um and I love being on the court with him he he’s going to get after it every time and he

He takes matchups personally like we’ve seen that yeah he’s down he’s down he’s down to get aggressive and physical and you know that’s that’s all you want I want to talk about the 70-point game that you had that was in your second year correct I lost though we’ll get to

That okay we’ll get to that this was by the way you scored 70 and this was before everybody could score 70 in the NB now it’s just a normal thing that’s what I said I said that I allar interview I was like man everybody’s doing it everybody’s doing it now I had

It for like four years um I I just actually would love for you to just like take me through that fourth quarter and you guys are trying to come back and just like what’s going through your mind you had to have known at some

Point like oh I got 50 I got 60 I knew 55 and then I knew at the free throw line I was going to get 70 Tyson let me know I’m on 55 I hit like a step back in front of our bench he like Double Nickel he just yelled

That [ __ ] um and then going to the free throw H just gave it a quick look up but so so once you hit 55 did you start like the counter in your head yeah just it’s like all right oh I got 60 all I got 7 yeah no seriously I couldn’t even like

Tell you the plays of what happened I mean I’ve watched it a couple times but had I’ve had a couple elite players uh say to me I was I’m actually surprised at how easy it was to score in the NBA did you feel that early in your career oh

Yeah I mean it’s just a spacing I think coming from college where always somebody there in the paint there’s always a seven-footer in the paint um and that makes it tough to score I think the defense of 3 seconds um helps out the spacing the paints obviously bigger

And like I said I was training for for this over a college type game all in the first place playing space basketball playing pick and roll basketball this is a perfect segue I do want to talk about college basketball real quick here’s my issue with college basketball my issue with

College basketball and again I don’t watch a ton of it when I do watch it you know I can enjoy it as like a casual fan it’s a lot of uh fluff I call it fluff it’s a lot of fluff actions to get to the actual action you

Want that’s just doesn’t happen in the 30 seconds we got 30 seconds on the clock why I just don’t understand why you just don’t run a pick and roll you know what I mean do it’s like we want to hey we want this guy to run a pick and

Roll let’s run three dribble handoffs oh they do it on their last seconds of their tournament games when they’re down five or 10 and they hit three quick threes but that I think that’s what that’s what makes the NBA so good it’s literally and I parents uh

Parents may get mad at me like because like when I coach these kids I’m like I don’t want to connect seven dots at nine and 10 years old the more dots I try to connect the more likely it is a turnover I’m going to run an action with two

Players that I think will result in a good outcome because the NBA is like it’s the NBA is so simple to me it’s like can you put two on the ball can you put two on the ball and the reason I bring all this up is because of fourth

Quarter and why does the game slow down so much why do teams why do you think it is why do teams play a certain way I feel that’s our problem right now you asked about the fourth quarter earlier um I don’t know I think they you just

Feel like you have to Value the The Possession more down the stretch and you start overthinking the when sometimes and usually the best available shot is the first or second one do you think that we meaning like the NBA I I’ll still no them ones we no

No don’t put me in that group don’t put me in that group do you think we meaning like today’s NBA I’m gonna throw myself in that group because I still feel part of it do you think we uh particularly in the fourth quarter spend too much time

Trying to find a matchup instead of just playing I think some of the Slowdown some of the Slowdown for Pace particularly with certain teams trying to get a match up just like it’s all about trying to get a matchup and and it’s fine and there’s there’s a number

Of ways you know you you might hedge once and then switch the second one right yeah you you might you see this all the time where the worst Defender will just take the lowest guy on offense and they’ll try to bring him up and then they’re

Point switching so run Zone put him down and and all of a sudden like you get down to five or six seconds on the shot clock and then it becomes about can Devin Booker score one-on-one can Kevin Durant score one-on-one can Tatum score one-on-one I just I’m you you’re living

It right now I felt this at times on certain teams as a player it’s like is is that the best option I don’t know it feels like basketball to me is like if I if I’m on the Phoenix Suns with I’m just using your team by the way this is not a

Knock on any coach because most of the league does this and and it’s the prevailing thought right now we got to exploit mismatches if I go play a pickup game with your starting five and I have 20 possessions I I’m pretty sure Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are going to

Shoot the most shots and I’m pretty sure at times there’s going to be two on the ball and Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are going to make the right decision why do we need to spend 19 seconds trying to match up hunt it’s a question I’m just asking I’m trying to figure it

Out I’m trying to figure it out you agree with me on that yeah okay I mean it has to be control it has to be controlled though I mean teams are making teams are making rotations now too like there’s there’s a form of great team defense too where you can put two

On the ball and you don’t have to give up a open shot who who who do you think does that well I I want to give these guys none okay no good energy before the playoffs they’re all all right om3 fans let’s talk skincare there is nothing

Worse than when you find yourself stuck in a cycle of breakouts but good news our friends at Lumen skin and their charcoal face wash have come to the rescue Lumen is a line of brilliant men’s skincare Solutions crafted especially for men who want to look and feel their brightest whether you’re a

Seasoned skincare Pro or a total newbie Lumen skin has got you covered Lumin charcoal face wash is a purifying wash designed for men of all skin types it lathers to a creamy foam and gently removes excess oil and dirt in order to rebalance the skin it is a daily detox

For your face it’s perfect for before bed or after a day in the gym Lumen charcoal face wash contains charcoal which seamlessly absorbs dirt and impurities helping to fight both breakouts and premature aging the best part Lumen will let listeners of old man in the 3 podcast try this product for

Free yes you heard that right you can try Lumen charcoal face wash for free head over to Lumen skin.com the3 and get your free trial Lumin charcoal face wash and their other amazing products now say goodbye to irritated oily skin and say hello to a new refreshed you don’t wait any longer

Your skin will thank you that’s Lin skin.com E3 a big thank you to our sponsor Sofi the official Bank of the NBA they’re the next generation of banking joining the league to help fans get their money right I love Sofi checking and savings because you can earn more money on your

Money up to 4.6% apy on your savings which is 10 times the national average savings rate in just 5 weeks the money sitting in your Sofi savings account is earning more money than it would in one year with a big Bank savings account with direct deposit get paid up to 2 days

Early pay no account fees and you can cash in on up to $300 when you sign up with direct deposit terms apply visit sofi.com banking for full details Sofi is also running the zero giveaway all season long each week one lucky fan will get $10,000 I said it $10,000 added to

Their bank account thanks to Sofi just click the link in the description or scan the QR code on screen to enter for a chance to win no purchase necessary to enter or win open only to Legal us residents 18 and over visit sofi.com slz for official rules this ends June 23rd

2024 thank you Sofi did the did you expect the reaction to the to the team photo of view holding 70 point on the sheet did you did you expect the reaction there was a little little bit of like I mean Jay Crowder who ended up being your team made a

Comment but there was a little bit like you guys lost the game yeah I mean I was 20 years old I I know what it was a great accomplishment celebrating I would that’s the thing like I’ve always taken social media too and being able to just

Digest it and you know see see it for what it is and and have fun with it so when I seen the first thing I seen was Jay Crowder’s comment under it it’s like all them Smiles they still took a l and I just gave them a lot of bucket

So I was like you can’t guard me though so you know what I’m it’s just it’s it’s friendly banner and I’ve been able to put that moment into perspective and you know it was just a great feature in my career you know for a season that we

Didn’t have much going you know it it gave me a lot of Promise going into the next season so it was impactful for me I have a confession to make I had a similar feeling as Jay Crowder now I didn’t get on Instagram or Twitter and

Tweet that out at the time that’s how I felt I was in it I’ve matured I also think it was it was a great accomplishment and it should be celebrated I think it should be celebrated I think we live in a world right now where it’s like unless you get

A ring it’s like we just can’t we can’t celebrate greatness why can’t we just celebrate greatness why can’t we just be happy watching someone’s score 70 points in an NBA game it doesn’t sell you need controversy you need um you need some hate going on playing with Kevin obviously competed against him for

Years uh just like what has that experience been like over the last season and a half being his teammate getting to be around this is the thing I had somebody say this to me the other day uh guys doesn’t play anymore uh but was a young player on one of my teams uh

And he was like you know being around you being around so and so being around so and so I don’t want to give the guy away but being around all you different guys being around vets like I not in the same category as these guys I want to be

Clear on that but guys who just really were serious in how they approached their craft I think Kevin is like at the top of that how he treats basketball insane what is it like being around him every day I mean exactly what you just broke it down basically like you’re just

Dealing with a guy that you know really loves his craft and you know for me to be a really big fan first you know I had a tweet from 201 I said Kevin Durant’s my favorite player but LeBron’s the best I found it when I got drafted everybody

You know they start retweeting it um but just always being a fan in and then you know hearing those type of stories about how obsessed as he is with his work and you know how he gets after and how much of a Hoops junkie he is and then for all

Those stories to be living up and him surpassing those and you really find out that he only cares about Hoops is like you know it’s it’s a match for me you know what I’m saying that Eric Gordon I I told you this Eric Gordon came on this

Podcast in November and he said I wanted to go to the Phoenix Suns because book and KD [ __ ] with each other cuz they were like two stars who got along and had the same mindset and all that yeah and I I I’m gonna make an argument here

Well I’m not gonna make an argument I’m gonna make a I’m gonna give a take I think when whatever happens the rest of Kevin’s career and I mean this I I really do I’m not just I would I I’ll go on first take next week and say this

[ __ ] I think whatever happens for the rest of Kevin’s Durant’s career we’re going to look back in like 10 or 15 years and be like why the [ __ ] did we spend all this time with all the [ __ ] discourse and not just appreciate literally one of the greatest

Basketball players to ever play in this game I really it’s not going to happen and by the way we’re g to keep this in the podcast yeah and there’ll be a million [ __ ] comments on YouTube about why I’m wrong and why he shouldn’t have left Oklahoma City or blah BL who

[ __ ] cares he’s literally one of the greatest players ever and we spend too much time on the [ __ ] instead of just appreciating his [ __ ] night toight greatness LeBron James has 20 straight Seasons scoring 25 points or more a game that’s the record you know second Kev Durant Kevin Durant 15 in a

Row this year yeah I mean that’s just I mean the real ones know you know what I’m saying everything else is clickbait in my opinion like my biggest thing I’m sure he’ say the same thing is like getting respect from the ones that that you respect you know the real the real

Legends of the game um the people that can sit at the same table as you and you know once you’re once you’re verified by those and your Idols like they’re always going to say something that’s that’s just media never sit at that table so I don’t

Have to worry about that [ __ ] do you do you in that regard do you feel like verified verified by the greats by like your peers the other great players man I’ve had some of the greatest conversations in my life with the people that I’m that I most respected and um

You know why they’re talking to me that you know they’re direct eye to eye contact and I and I feel it through the conversations and those are the moments that you know I cherish and you know really keep me driven you talking about motivation earlier I wasn’t I didn’t even think about this

But these are the ones that really hit me when those ones those real ones and I don’t want to say you know who I’ve talked to behind the scenes but you know I’ve gotten you know a lot of inspiration from some of the best to

Ever do it and the best to ever do it is is one was one of those conversations uh Luca and Cabo you guys were vacation together isn’t that crazy that wild in that wild one of the other greats you played with was uh Chris Paul um who I referenced earlier and you

Know Chris and I had such a great relationship he co-signed them signing me in free agency to Doc when doc had just got the job we had to do a sign and trade they had to give up bledo like it was you know bledo was a young player on

His rookie contract it was it was a big deal to give him up so Chris co-signed it was like yeah if you can go get JJ go get him and I saw him at the press conference and I was just kind of like hey you know I wasn’t sure like how he

Was going to react I hadn’t really talked to him but we exchanged numbers so a month later I was living in Austin at the time a month later I drove down to Houston um to go to Brandon bass’s wedding who was a teammate of mine uh in a couple different places actually and

I’m sitting there an hour before the wedding in the hotel lobby and I see CP and Jada walk by and I’m like yo you you’re at this wedding he’s like yeah and so we sat there for probably that whole hour until it was time to go to the uh the

Ceremony and it was just like very clear to me like who he was you know what I mean by that like I was like okay we’re going to get along because it was the first time we’d ever really spent time together but and he you know he said to

Me he’s like book is is wired the right way whatever Frank vogle earlier this year said that you got to download cp’s brain and it’s one of the reasons that you’ve been effective essentially as the orchestrator the lead guard what what do you what does frank mean by that what

Does that mean to you like the influence of of being around CP and and truthfully having basketball conversations with him like what did you learn I mean we got to pull back the layers then you know cuz he’s one of those guys that you know was obsessed with the game too so

What what what coach SES downloading his brain I’m always I’m always loading like that that really is how I am um especially around the people that I have a high respect for so you know I’ll sit there and listen to every story he has to tell me and you

Know and every moment that he’s been through you know you develop a relationship that’s bigger than basketball I think it’s I think it’s impressive too what he’s done this year in Golden state to be honest with you mhm this is a guy who everything’s impressive

Man what 19 I mean think about a guy who is a first ballot Hall of Famer one of the greatest players ever at his position and is asked to do something that he’s never done before in his career the bad players like me we got to

Adapt year to year like getting to that stage in your career be like you got to do something different now and embracing that and thriving in it bro my favorite my favorite thing I I have a lot of favorite things I’ll say this my favorite thing is the yic spin move

Where he throws the stupid Pastor Aaron Gordon blind L dunk from the dunker spot like it’s probably my favorite thing in basketball right now I’m being serious because it’s it’s just so stupid it’s like the timing he doesn’t always see him it’s stupid one of my other favorite

Things in basketball is watching Chris Paul play and point it seems like an underrated thing in point point directing traffic oh yeah bringing the ball up young guy going up the right wing Clay’s in the right corner and just pointing a clay and he’s like what am I

Supposed to do oh I’m supposed to go screen for clay clay comes off pin down three right him and uh Trace Jackson Davis like pointing at him no screen at this angle I never even peeped that you never peeped how much he points I mean now you’re saying it I

Visualiz I never like it’s one of the most F things Point God yeah he’s the point gu but it’s the point it’s the it’s the pointing for me it’s just like it’s a small subtle thing yeah and the fact that he’s still doing it because he

Did it with me and he did it with New Orleans and he did it with Phoenix and he did it with Oklahoma City it’s just like I love that about his game directing traffic directing traffic directing traffic uh I hope this wasn’t too painful for you man come on man

We’re in the crib we’re chilling appreciate you stopping by this been good thank you I don’t you know I don’t do this oh I did have one more question what’s up one more question we had uh we had Drew holiday on the podcast back in 21 um after uh they had won the

Championship and you guys closing out with a finals loss no okay I didn’t I would never I’m not bringing that up no I’m I’m closing out I’m closing out with an airplane ride buddy I’m closing right after I lost the next day the next day yeah we took a flight man it wasn’t

Awkward it wasn’t awkward no the guys just smelled like shamp no I’m kidding those are great dudes man Chris man yeah those guys are those guys are great man it’s just you know I definitely you know that’s I’m going to think about the finals the rest of my

Life it just comes to a point where you realize you lost all right now it’s the get back and that’s the that’s that’s just the process of the NBA and I’m going to be on that mission forever till I’m on a golf course every day doing the

Same thing competing I can’t wait till you’re like a scratch hand scratch handicap you’re going to be a scratch golfers I feel it everybody said they’re oh Shooters can man I’ve done two two and a half years out there I’m still trying to figure it out you’ll get there

You’ll get there I appreciate you man me man this is fun man I

We are so psyched to finally welcome to the show, Phoenix Suns guard and superstar, Devin Booker. This is such a fantastic interview about Devin’s journey in the NBA, what makes him motivated night in and night out and the state of this year’s Phoenix Suns team. So much to cover so let’s get to it!

Topics include: JJ opens the show talking Lakers vs. Kings. Then Devin joins the show and we immediately get into his legendary sh*t talking and why he does it – referencing Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, etc… He also talks about being raised around basketball with his father and how that helped his mentality growing up. How he’s evolved as an NBA player over the years and what it was like being on those early Phoenix Suns teams. Scoring 70 points (before everyone was doing it) in a loss. How Devin has approached becoming a playmaker vs. a pure scorer over the last few years. Devin Booker scoring How he feels about playing with Kevin Durant and this year’s Phoenix Suns championship aspirations. What Devin learned from playing with Chris Paul and so much more.

00:00 – Start of show
01:11 – JJ on Lakers vs. Kings match-up
05:23 – Devin Booker Interview

Thanks to SoFi, the Official Bank of the NBA, for sponsoring! Enter for a chance to win $10K: https://sofi.com/jj

Subscribe to The Old Man and The Three podcast w/ JJ Redick (ESPN / First Take) and Tommy Alter YouTube channel today for more NBA analysis, player interviews and highlights.