Devin Booker could have taken a break. The 19-year-old is coming off a season in which he played much more than originally expected. Injuries to several teammates, including guards Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, pressed the league's youngest rookie into game-time action.
His first season put the rest of the league on notice. He averaged 12.0 points per game, the most by any Suns rookie in 20 years. His shooting and playmaking, especially at such a young age, earned him All-Rookie First Team honors on Thursday.
The very next day, he was back in the gym.
It wasn't a casual appearance either. Booker put himself through rigorous drill after drill. Five makes from each mid-post area. Free throws, with each swish counting for three points, regular make counting for two points, and a miss negative one. The goal: reach 21 points in 10 shots or less. He did it in nine.
Finally, Booker hit each of the five points around the three-point arc. He could only advance to the next spot after making five in a row. If he made four in a row and missed the last, he started over.
As his countless shots and sweat indicated, Booker is hardly resting on his already growing laurels.
"[Being named All-Rookie First Team] shows that I’m on the right path," Booker said, "but there are a lot of people who have made First Team All-Rookie and you don’t know where they are anymore. So I just have to use this as motivation and keep grinding, because I know that comes with a bigger target on my back."