Booker and Ayton Actually Could Be the Next Kobe and Shaq

DeAndre Ayton was selected number one overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2018 NBA Draft, and he's wasting no time making his voice heard. He compared the newly formed duo of Devin Booker and himself to the historic pair of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.

While many are quick to dismiss this as arrogant banter, what if we entertain the thought? Could this really be the NBA's next power duo, and one of legendary proportions at that?

Let's start by removing the extreme: it would be outlandish and foolish to say Booker and Ayton will have careers that rival those of Kobe and Shaq.

But in simpler terms, could the duo have a dominant three-year run like the two Hall of Fame Los Angeles Lakers did in the early 2000's? I think it's quite possible.

Consider these two players:

Player A: 22.5 PPG, 4.9 AST, 6.3 RPG, 47% FG
Player B: 24.9 PPG, 4.7 AST, 4.5 RPG, 43% FG

You could really go either way here, a slightly better rebounder and more effective shooter, or the extra 2.4 points per game that Player B brings. Whichever statline you prefer, it's hard to argue they're not similar.

Player A is Kobe Bryant and Player B is Devin Booker. The comparison comes from each player's age-21 season, which was Bryant's 4th year in the league and Booker's 3rd.

If we're comparing the two, it's hard not to point out they're also near each other on the list of highest scoring NBA games. Booker set a Suns franchise record with 70 points in 2017, at just 20 years old. It would take Kobe ten years before recording his historic 81 point game.

But my next counterpoint in the argument: Booker and Ayton also will never command the same court presence Kobe and Shaq did. Booker will never be the Black Mamba, one of the most feared players to ever step on the court, and Ayton won't be as game-breaking as O'Neal in his prime.

So why do I still insist the two duos can be compared?

I think the duo of Booker and Ayton will produce similar stats to Kobe-Shaq, and possibly even some championships. Maybe not in the next year or two, but as the Warriors run comes to an end and LeBron James finally starts to slow down, the NBA could be ripe for the taking. (Unless of course, another superteam arises)

But maybe the Suns can be that superteam, even with just their 1-2 punch. I even picked the Suns to make an NBA Finals appearance when I predicted the next five NBA champions. 

Courtesy of USA Today

Over their three-peat championship run, in the regular season, Kobe Bryant averaged 28 points, 5.5 assists, and 6 rebounds per game. Is it impossible to believe Booker could do the same in a year or two? Booker increased his year-to-year scoring by 2.8 points per game last year, after a 8.3 point leap from year one to year two.

Then we have Ayton who we haven't touched on as much. The 7 foot center will pose matchup problems for most NBA teams, in a league where center is a position in decline. In college, Ayton averaged a double-double at Arizona with 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.

So now before you read Shaq's numbers during the three-peat just remember: these were his 9th, 10th, and 11th seasons in the prime or slightly just past the prime of his career. Even so, the numbers aren't completely out of reach for Ayton.

Shaquille O'Neal 2000-2002: 27.5 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 57% FG

I wouldn't expect Ayton to tally that many points per game in his first couple seasons, but as he comes into his own in the NBA, they're not unhittable numbers.

The longer Booker and Ayton stay together in Phoenix, the more potent the pair becomes. To wrap things up, I don't think Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton will be the sure-fire, All-Time great, Top 20 NBA players that Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal are.

But I believe the duo, together, can put up similar numbers to those that Kobe and Shaq achieved during their championship seasons. This will naturally lead the Suns into the playoffs, and depending on the landscape of the NBA, maybe even the NBA Finals.

If they win even one championship together, maybe the comparison won't seem so crazy after all.

Header photo courtesy of Clutch Points.com

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