Karl-Anthony Towns recalls how Devin Booker feared he wasn’t good enough for the NBA: “If we handle business on the court, we win and stuff, all our draft stocks go up” originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Although we now see Devin Booker as one of the most dynamic scorers of the past decade in the league, his path before the NBA wasn’t as smooth as it might seem in hindsight. The Kentucky team, led by John Calipari, featured both Karl-Anthony Towns and Booker, finishing the 2014-15 season with a 38-1 record. Despite their raw talent, they were stopped in the semifinals with a 71-64 loss to Wisconsin.
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KAT reveals Booker thought he wasn’t worthy of the NBA
Looking back, it might seem disappointing that Calipari’s roster, with Towns and Booker, didn’t win the NCAA title. In reality, both averaged just under 11 points per game that season.
Towns shared insights about the dynamic between him and Booker on the 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast with Carmelo Anthony.
“I remember Book was in college and we would be sitting there and Book would be like, ‘Man, you about to go to the NBA, you’re going to get drafted number one and I’m gonna be here in Kentucky for another year or two and I’m going to just try.’ And I was like, bro, if we handle business on the court, we win and stuff, all our draft stocks go up” Towns addressed.
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Booker, like his idol Kobe Bryant, went 13th overall
Despite not having a standout stat line or leading his team to an NCAA title, Towns was selected as the No. 1 pick in the draft, while Booker, like his idol Kobe Bryant, went 13th overall to the Phoenix Suns. After a solid rookie season, averaging 13.8 points and making the All-Rookie First Team, Booker has never averaged below 22 points per game from his sophomore season through today.
The turning point for Booker came in 2017, when he scored 71 points against the Boston Celtics. At 20 years and 145 days old, he became the youngest player in history to score 70 or more points in a single game. It was against the Celtics, Kobe’s longtime rivals, and everything he did that night mirrored his idol. That moment marked when Booker realized he truly belonged in the league, not just as a participant but as one of its elite players.
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Since then, Booker has become a four-time All-Star, an All-NBA First Team member, a gold medalist with Team USA, a Three-Point Contest champion, and the leader who took the Suns to the NBA Finals. Along the way, he has shown he can both lead a team and coexist with superstars like Kevin Durant and Chris Paul.
After winning gold in Paris, Steve Kerr highlighted Booker’s adaptability as his greatest skill when asked why he started him in every game of the tournament.
“He’s probably been the guy who’s been most adaptable to go from a different role in the NBA to a new one here,” Kerr said.
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Booker became one of the best shooting guards of his generation
Booker found himself overnight in a particular situation: going from being the primary option on his team to adjusting as a role player alongside Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, LeBron James, and Durant. The fact that he thrived in that role speaks volumes.
From worrying if he even belonged in the league to becoming one of the best shooting guards of his generation, Booker dominated in the 3-point era through mid-range, scoring efficiently from every angle on the court.
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Career playoff numbers of 28.0 points and 5.3 assists on 48.6 percent shooting over 47 games prove he unquestionably belongs in the NBA. Who would’ve thought that just four months after Kobe’s draft night, another No. 13 pick would be born — one destined to carry on Bryant’s legacy in terms of scoring.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 18, 2025, where it first appeared.