Is All-NBA first team selection Devin Booker elite NBA player? JJ Redick doesn't think so

Los Angeles Lakers All-Star big Anthony Davis was the center a debate between ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and former NBA players JJ Redick and Amar’e Stoudemire.

Redick believes the talented, but injury-prone Davis isn’t a top 7 NBA player when healthy.

Smith does, but neither he nor Redick named Devin Booker, an All-NBA first team selection this year who led Phoenix to the league’s best record at 64-18.

The three-time All-Star averaged a career-high 26.8 points this season after averaging 28.2 points in last year’s NBA Finals the Suns lost to the Bucks in six games.

So, should Booker be listed among the NBA’s elite?

Before going any further, here’s Redick’s initial top 7 listed in alphabetical order.

• Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks).

• Stephen Curry (Warriors).

• Luka Doncic (Mavericks).

• Kevin Durant (Nets).

• Joel Embiid (76ers).

• LeBron James (Lakers).

• Nikola Jokic (Nuggets).

Taking the ‘when healthy’ part into account, Redick said Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) would be in his top 7 and he’d have to take someone out, but didn’t get around to doing that.

Redick then rattled off four more names for his second tier of top NBA players – Jayson Tatum (Celtics), Paul George (Clippers), Damian Lillard (Blazers) and Jimmy Butler (Heat).

“Every single one of those guys has been the best player on a team that has either gotten to the conference finals or the NBA Finals, and some of course are NBA champions,” Redick said. “Anthony Davis has never been the best player on a team that has gotten to the conference finals or the NBA championship.”

So that’s 12 players he believes are better than Booker, who was the leading scorer for the Suns last season when they reached the finals.

Davis won an NBA title with the Lakers in 2020 when the season ended in the Orlando bubble due to COVID-19 pandemic, but James was the best player on the team.

James won finals MVP.

In reaction to Redick’s list, Smith said he’d take Davis over Doncic, who led Dallas to this year’s conference finals after stunning top-seeded Phoenix in the conference semifinals, and Jokic, who won a second straight NBA MVP this season.

Jokic led the Nuggets to the 2020 conference finals in the bubble where they lost to the Lakers in six.

Stoudemire, who starred for the Suns, begged to differ with Smith on Davis.

“The top seven is a bit of stretch right, when healthy,” Stoudemire said. “I don’t know if I can put him past Jokic or Luka.”

Smith added that he’d also take Davis over Butler and Tatum.

Butler led the Heat to the 2020 finals against the Lakers, who beat Miami in six games, and to this year’s conference finals against the Celtics.

Stoudemire does have Davis, when healthy, over Tatum and Butler.

Boston won Game 7 in Miami to reach the finals as Tatum was named MVP of the Eastern Conference finals.

The Celtics are down 3-2 to Golden State after losing Game 5 Monday in San Francisco. Game 6 is Thursday in Boston.

If the Celtics win, there will be a decisive Game 7 Sunday in San Francisco.

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Is All-NBA first team selection Devin Booker elite NBA player?