Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Phoenix Suns fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The Phoenix Suns have more than a few new faces on the team this year. Coming from trades, drafting and free agency, the Valley has completely revamped their roster season since last year, with some of the main moves being trading for Kevin Durant, agreeing to a buyout with Bradley
Beal and trading for Charlotte Hornets starting center Mark Williams.
The Suns have 12 new players on the roster, including newly signed Alex Schumacher, who inked an Exhibit 10 deal with the Valley on Thursday. Although Schumacher was then waived by the Suns shortly thereafter.
Earlier this week, we asked Suns fans who they were most excited to see play in the Valley for the first time, and one person lapped the competition.
I was honestly very surprised by the results, and not just by Jalen Green getting more than double the votes of Rasheer Fleming, who got the second most votes. Green and Brooks got half of the votes. Both are some of the more polarizing players in the league and do not present the unknown upside that rookies Khaman Maluach and Fleming do.
While Green is already a dynamic, 20+ PPG scorer and Brooks is well-known for his tenacity and trash talk, a player like Maluach, who is one of the youngest in the league and has a unique physical presence projects to be more of a part of the team’s long-term future. Additionally, with the Suns lacking a true center for most of the last few seasons, both Mark Williams, who got the fourth most votes, and Maluach give the Valley fans talent at the five they have not experienced much recently.
I’m not surprised that Fleming was one of the top vote getters. His ability to space the floor, how he projects to be more league ready than other rookies considering his three years in college and that he can play multiple positions, set him up to compete with Ryan Dunn for the starting power forward spot if he can prove himself early in the season.
With the Suns projected to be one of the worst teams in the NBA, all the new players on the Suns, especially the rookies, will get ample opportunities to prove themselves and win the support of the fanbase. It will be interesting to see which of the new players are fan favorites and who is not as the season goes on.
