In this blog, we will be comparing the introduction of Devin Booker and Kobe Bryant. Both players are considered to be among the best in the NBA, but who has the better introduction? We will be looking at a number of factors, including shooting ability, ball-handling, and overall athleticism.
Devin Booker Vs Kobe Bryant
NBA Championships and Seasons
|
Devin Booker |
Kobe Bryant |
| NBA Championships |
0 |
5 |
| NBA Seasons |
7 |
20 |
| Playoffs Played |
2 |
15 |
| All-Star Games |
3 |
18 |
Honors and Awards
|
Devin Booker |
Kobe Bryant |
| Season MVP |
0 |
1 |
| Finals MVP |
0 |
2 |
| All-NBA First Team |
1 |
11 |
| All-NBA Teams
(Total Selections) |
1 |
15 |
| All-Defensive 1st Team |
0 |
9 |
| All-Defensive Teams
(Total Selections) |
0 |
12 |
| Scoring Leader |
0 |
2 |
NBA Regular Season Stats
Stats Per Game
|
Devin Booker |
Kobe Bryant |
| Points Per Game |
23.5 |
25.0 |
| Rebounds Per Game |
3.9 |
5.2 |
| Assists Per Game |
4.7 |
4.7 |
| Steals Per Game |
0.8 |
1.4 |
| Blocks Per Game |
0.3 |
0.5 |
Totals Stats
|
Devin Booker |
Devin Booker |
| Total Points |
11,217 |
33,643 |
| Total Rebounds |
1,865 |
7,047 |
| Total Assists |
2,228 |
6,306 |
| Total Steals |
398 |
1,944 |
| Total Blocks |
128 |
640 |
| Total Games |
477 |
1,346 |
Aesthetics & Tendencies
Even if both athletes indeed share identical physical builds, Bryant embodied a little more explosive athlete with a vertical coming in at 38 inches, as opposed to Booker's 36. This differential in leaping abilities, paired with Bryant's slightly bigger wingspan and amazing body control, frequently allowed him to create more acrobatic finishes and slams around the rim.
But while
Booker might lack that pop,
he still manages to get off shots just like a great Kobe. This arises mostly due to the variances in the manner each individual moves.
Last year,
Booker typically exploited his quickness more regularly to get into wide space. He built up a near-full head of steam going downhill following a pick-and-roll or handoff and then used that established driving threat to effortlessly stop on a dime or drastically shift directions to get an open look.
His play style's fast tempo mixed with his tremendously quick and smooth release almost made him look like he glided into all his made shots last season. That all differs drastically from the slower-paced, more deliberate Bryant, who created his shots out from his historically patient triple threat position—
abusing jabs and up fakes to create even the least bit of air space to shoot over.
Kobe's approach to generating points involved little movement in comparison to other scorers, typically shooting faders without momentum or dribbles and instead rising up off of either a standstill position or sequence complex footwork.
It all went highlighted by his high, catapult-like release that allowed him to successfully shoot above anybody—with a hand in his face or not.
But travels to the charity stripe illustrate another difference between these past and present dangerous weapons on the wing. At Booker's age, Bryant earned nearly nine free throw attempts per game compared to Booker's own 5.9 from the previous year.
Bryant earned these attempts not only owing to his penchant to trick guys out of their shoes but also with how he sought contact at the rim.
The Mamba regularly adjusted his strides to adapt to the position of whichever big man he targeted, trying to either finish with crafty layups thanks to his larger wingspan or to seal off a shot blocker's angle early by initiating contact.
Now, this is not to imply that Booker did not play with patience last season or that Bryant never attacked downhill. Booker's patience was on full display during the 2021-22 season, as he loved to wait for defenders to come around his hip on a screen, then slow down before unleashing a pull-up shot. Like his teammate
Chris Paul,
he frequently used the pick-and-roll to look for pull-ups or a big open man. But we also saw Bryant attack downhill many times per game, employing his previously noted explosiveness to finish with dunks worthy of the highlight reel.
To be more explicit, the primary distinctions between their games are the attack speeds, the vantage locations from which they frequently attacked, and the amount of space each player produced.
Systems of Kobe Bryant And Devin Booker
Despite the fact that both Bryant and Booker occasionally played to the beat of their own drum, the diverse offensive systems they utilized naturally impacted their games. The Suns' scheme from the previous season placed a heavy focus on guard play that continuously sought to showcase the pick-and-roll. Everyone ran double-drag screens, half-court screens, or pistol actions, including dribble handoffs after a
Deandre Ayton screen off Booker and Paul.
Whenever Booker was on the court, he served as the primary initiator, which was a stark contrast to Bryant's extensive use of Phil Jackson's more sophisticated yet flowing triangle system.
In the era of the dead ball, the triangular formation tried to increase unpredictability. Essentially, the triangle formation required one player to post up at the block on the far side of the court, another to occupy the corner, and a third on the wing. All three players stayed very close together in an effort to lure three defenders away from the vulnerable side. T
he two surviving players positioned themselves for a two-on-two matchup on the known weak side.
The players maintained these positions while performing a variety of on- and off-ball actions,
including back screens, cuts to the basket between the weak-side players, simple post-ups for isolated scorers, and passes back to the perimeter. The triangle system's shot options were virtually limitless, but it precluded Bryant from playing a key initiating role, unlike Booker.
In the end, the strategy allowed Bryant to find clean looks frequently but occasionally placed him away from the ball. At one point, he was forced into a post-isolation play, and at another, he was forced to wait to launch a weak-side attack.
While Bryant and Booker may exhibit similar moves, such as turnaround fadeaways, a comparison of each player's shot chart reveals that Booker's shot volume remains centered around the mid-range and 3-point line due to the pick-and-roll, whereas Bryant's extends to every area of the court due to the triangle offense.
Devin Booker and Kobe: Efficiency
Prior to everything else, a player's era must be taken into account while calculating efficiency.
In 2002-03, Bryant had a true shooting percentage of 55.0% compared to the league average of 52.0%. Last season, Booker's true shooting percentage was 58.0%, compared to the league average of 57.0%.
Booker's inaccuracy from the 3-point range decreased his overall effectiveness during the 2021-22 season, as
he converted only 34.0 percent of his 5.5 3-point tries per game. His lack of free throw attempts did him no favors, and his rim shooting percentage was only 60.0%.
In an era when wings rarely drew up off screens to shoot from a distance, Bryant's 3-point shooting was ahead of the curve. At Booker's age, Bryant destroyed opponents from deep, shattering the record for most three-pointers made in a game at the time with a 38.0 percent clip on 4.4 tries per game. His free throw percentages and rim finishing percentage (63.0) were flawless. These three elements contributed to his above-average efficiency despite his high field goal attempt rate.
Both players lacked extraterrestrial efficiency, but what they did do is significant for the same reasons. Bryant and Booker routinely converted a shot that would have been unreliable for the majority of players into an "average" one.
Bryant also shot around the league average on long two-pointers, but he emphasized that these baskets were not just catch-and-shoot possibilities. He converted difficult, heavily contested fadeaways into a shot you frequently anticipated him to make from night to night.
Booker shot far over the league average from mid-range and attacked with a variety of fallaways last season. Booker's shotmaking made him especially important in modern basketball, as the mid-range is an afterthought for most opponents. As evidence, we witnessed him and CP3 repeatedly expose this philosophy during the postseason.
Booker's own legacy is only getting started. It is unique to him, and we must remember this while comparing him to others. Generally speaking, this is applicable to all young players.
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FAQs
Is Devin Booker better than Kobe Bryant?
Booker currently sports a 17.4 mark, but it's worth noting that Bryant's career average was just 20.2 after six seasons. Booker has topped the 20-point mark twice in his first six seasons, while Bryant did it three times
Why is Booker compared to Kobe?
Bryant spent 20 seasons in the league, earning 18 All-Star selections, two scoring titles, one MVP award and five NBA titles. And now, some say Booker bares a resemblance to how the legend played. Over the span of 34 games this season, the 25-year-old is averaging 23.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
Did Kobe Play against Devin Booker?
Booker faced off against Bryant in 2016, the Lakers legend's final season when Booker was a rookie. Bryant scored 17 points compared with Booker's 28 in the Suns' win. "That is the first and last time I got to play against him," Booker said after the game
Conclusion
That's All Kobe and Booker comparison, It is clear that Devin Booker is a very talented player, and he has the potential to be one of the best players in the NBA. However, it is also clear that Kobe Bryant is a much better player than Devin Booker and that Kobe Bryant is the better player overall.
