About 10 games into the season, the Suns are still sorting out who’s driving the bus, who’s climbing, and who might be sliding toward the edge of the rotation. That picture got a little clearer after an easy win, Phoenix’s third in its last four games, as the team keeps trying to erase that ugly 1-5 start.
Devin Booker remains the center of everything. He has played a key part in every Suns win so far, and the losses have looked more like a problem with the pieces around him than anything Booker has failed to do.
He’s scoring more than 25 points a night, getting to the line at a 34% free throw rate, and knocking down 94% of those attempts while still handling his usual playmaking load with a 23% assist%. That’s the kind of production that keeps him at the top of the Most Valuable Sun conversation.
The supporting cast has produced a few real bright spots. Luke Kennard has been a huge lift with his shooting and passing, doing it with rare efficiency and sitting second in net rating.
He’s at a 74% true shooting percentage, hitting 49% from three-point range, and posting a 6.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. Dillon Brooks has also given Phoenix a reliable scoring punch, shooting 42% from deep and still bringing that mid-post game into the mix.
And Oso Ighodaro has helped the offense breathe better when he’s in the starting group, while also making the defense rotate smarter.
On the rise, Ryan Dunn is the obvious name. His stock is soaring, and the numbers back it up: a 63% true shooting percentage, plus strong work on the defensive end.
Khaman Maluach is still in the development phase, but he’s getting valuable reps and showing flashes, whether that’s a dominant block or a made three. The big thing with him is still the hands and the defensive rotation.
Jordan Goodwin has also moved up after the latest game. He’s become more than just hustle, rebounding, and defense, and he’s now hit at least three threes in each of his last three full-game appearances, going 13 of 22, or 59%, over that stretch.
There are also a few Suns who are trending the other way. Jalen Green has been a lightning rod for frustration.
He’s trying to play his role, and his assists have ticked up a bit in recent games, but it still looks unnatural, and his value is slipping. Rasheer Fleming has dealt with health issues, but he had already fallen out of the rotation before that.
Jared Bouyea and Isaiah Spencer aren’t seeing minutes either, even though there seemed to be a path for a change-of-pace role.
The defensive side of the ball has some names worth highlighting, even if the team defense as a whole has been subpar. Dunn leads this group, and his defensive rating of 99 is 10 points better than the next-best Sun, Ighodaro, who brings defensive versatility. Collin Gillespie is third in the NBA at 3.0 steals per 36 minutes.
Dunn also shows up in the hustle category, along with Goodwin and Gillespie. Dunn plays like every minute matters.
Goodwin earns a spot even though he’s only played 5 ½ games because of a calf injury. Gillespie keeps flying around too, covering the most distance per minute of any Phoenix player and averaging a team-high 4.73 mph.
As for who might be the most likely to leave the Suns’ orbit, Green is the first name that comes up. He hasn’t matched the expectations attached to his contract, and he’s become a popular target in trade chatter.
The hope here is that Phoenix doesn’t rush into anything, because his value is low right now, and a sixth-man role might be the better way to unlock him. Fleming could also draw interest from other teams because of his size and the flashes he showed last season.
Brooks is the wild card. If the season goes sideways, a contender looking for toughness could come calling, and Phoenix should at least listen if the return is the right younger piece.
Saturday’s win over the Rockets now stands as the top moment on the list, with signs of life starting in the Magic win before last night’s dominant victory over the Clippers pushed itself into the No. 2 spot.
In Other News...
Devin Bookers Latest Climb Adds To His Place In Suns History
Devin Booker added another line to his already deep footprint in Suns history during Phoenixs game against the Clippers, moving past Julius Erving on the NBAs all-time scoring list and into 79th place with 18,371 career points. For a player who has spent his entire career in Phoenix, milestones like this have become part of the backdrop to his rise, with Booker already standing as the franchises all-time leading scorer.
The bigger picture for the Suns is even more straightforward: owner Mat Ishbia has made it clear Booker remains the face of the team and the player expected to guide the next push toward a championship. Individual markers on the leagues scoring list only reinforce how long Booker has been doing this at a high level, and how central he still is to whatever comes next in Phoenix. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Are About To Get A Painful Grayson Allen Reminder
Grayson Allens season has become a reminder of what the Suns gave up when they moved him in the deal that brought back Miles Bridges and others. In Charlotte, Allen has settled in as a useful two-way piece, and his recent 27-point outing with six 3-pointers only sharpened the contrast for a Phoenix team that has had a hard time finding consistency on the defensive end.
What Phoenix misses most is not just the shooting, but the kind of defensive versatility Allen brought to the rotation. The Suns have struggled to get stops this season, and Allens ability to space the floor while handling different matchup duties is the sort of steady value that tends to stand out more once it is gone. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Return To Phoenix With More At Stake Than Usual
The Suns head into their matchup with Charlotte in a far better health spot than they have been in recent stretches, and that matters as much as anything in a season where availability has often shaped the rotation. Phoenixs injury report is light, with only Mark Williams out because of a torn labrum, while Jordan Goodwins return from injury gave the team a useful lift in the previous game and added another active piece to the mix.
Charlotte, meanwhile, arrives with a longer list of injury concerns, which only adds to the sense that this one could hinge as much on who is available as on who is playing well. There is also a little extra edge in the building, with Grayson Allen and Royce ONeale set to face their former team for the first time this season, a small subplot that gives an otherwise ordinary regular-season meeting a little more bite. [Read more 🡒]