“The Silent Assassin.” On this Olympiad, this is the nickname that could be given to Devin Booker. Never in the spotlight, the Suns All-Star guard was nevertheless very effective with his 11.7 points at 57% shooting in 22 minutes per game, but also his 3.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds on average. Like in the final with his 13 points in the first half to help the United States reach the locker room with an eight-point lead.
Like Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant, they have taken almost all the spotlight, Steve Kerr wanted to pay tribute to himbefore leaving the post-match conference. “One last thing: Devin Booker is an extraordinary basketball player. He’s been incredible throughout this journey. What he does, game after game, is rock solid. He’s completely changed his role from the NBA to now. Nobody asked about him, but he’s been our hidden MVP. I just wanted to say that.”
An unforgettable experience
Like many of his teammates, Booker put himself at the service of the group. We saw him lead the game. We saw him play a lot without the ball, multiplying the false leads. We also saw him rub shoulders with his opponents, like in the final with Guerschon Yabusele. A real involvement to go get his second Olympic gold medal. The best according to him.
“This first experience was totally different from the first” he explained. “I'm not taking anything away from the premiere, but there was that atmosphere, and then obviously Stephen and LeBron joining us… That experience will be right up there with everything I've ever had in my life.”
