Devin Booker hits absurd game-winner in statement game vs. Clippers (Video)

Devin Booker is the centerpiece of the Phoenix Suns’ bright future.

It’s been a long journey back to national relevance for the Phoenix Suns. In fact, entering the NBA restart in Orlando, most people wrote them off as questionable invites to the bubble. They had a sub-.500 record and less than a puncher’s chance of actually making the play-in scenario for a playoff spot.

But Devin Booker, who’s been toiling away for this struggling franchise for five years now, is finally getting his chance to play the first meaningful games of his career. And as his performance against the LA Clippers on Tuesday showed, he’s making the most of it.

Finishing with 35 points, eight assists and four rebounds, Book was an absolute flamethrower for the Suns in their 117-115 victory, shooting 13-for-25 from the floor and 6-for-9 from 3-point range. None of those buckets was bigger than his absurd game-winning buzzer-beater over Kawhi Leonard and Paul George:

Devin Booker provided another glimpse of the Suns’ bright future.

Look at the degree of difficulty! (Props to Mikal Bridges for the tip that gave the Suns the steal and extra possession to close.)

The Suns have been the biggest pleasant surprise of the bubble thus far, storming out to a perfect 3-0 record. Booker, who scored 27 points against the Washington Wizards before following up with 30 against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, is announcing himself to the basketball world with big-time performances for a team that no one expected much from.

Booker scored eight of his 35 points in the final frame, including back-to-back go-ahead buckets in the final minute. It was his 88th career 30-point game, which means he trails only Walter Davis (90) for the most 30-point game in Suns franchise history. The important footnote there is Booker is only 23 years old and has only played in 337 games, compared to Davis’ 766 games.

According to the FOX Sports broadcast, Booker is the sixth-youngest player in NBA history to reach 7,500 career points, trailing only LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady — not bad company to be in at all.

Booker and the Suns have been a joke for too long, but as this game-winner shows (against a double-team, no less!), those days may soon be a thing of the past.