Grayson Allen
Shooting Guard, 6’4”, 198 pounds, 29 years old, 7 years of NBA experience
Amid all the roster turnover the Phoenix Suns have had this offseason, one thing remains true: Grayson Allen is the Suns’ best shooter.
A down year from his first year in the Valley, Allen’s role was diminished last season with Tyus Jones in the starting lineup, after he was a starter in the 2023-2024 season, where he averaged career-highs in multiple categories and led the NBA in three-point percentage at 46.1%.
With Kevin Durant
and Bradley Beal not in the Valley anymore, Allen’s offense projects to be a more integral part of the team’s success because of his elite shooting and his experience. Turning 30 before the season starts, Allen is now one of the longest-tenured Suns on the team and is one of the team’s oldest players.
2024-25 Recap
In a more limited role from his first year on the Suns, Allen spent most of his second year in the Valley coming off the bench, starting just 7 games this year compared to 74 in the 2023-2024 season. Still an elite shooter, the Duke alum hit nearly 43% of his triples on 5.5 attempts per game. Averaging nearly 9 minutes less per game than the year before, his scoring dipped by almost three points per game. In the 7 games he started, his scoring went up significantly and his efficiency slightly improved, averaging 15.6 points per game on 46/47/90 shooting splits.
In a season full of disappointment, Allen’s buzzer-beating, game-tying three to send the Phoenix Suns into overtime against the Utah Jazz was one of the team’s most exciting and highest points in the season.
With 0.9 seconds left in regulation, Allen hit a fading three that sent the game into regulation, leading to a Suns win.
While he was mostly consistent with his three-point shooting throughout the season, Allen made an absurd 53% of his threes in January, the month he played the most games in. While in his first season in the Valley he had more ball handling responsibilities, he had less this season, attributing to why his assists numbers were down after a career year in the category a season before.
Contract Details
Allen signed a four-year, $70 million extension with the Suns in April of 2024. He now has three years left at about $54 million on the deal. His cap hit for the 2025-2026 season is $16.875 million. Despite being over the cap, the Suns were able to sign him using his bird rights. He’s projected to hit unrestricted free agency after the 2027-2028 season.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Allen is one of the best marksmen in the NBA. From deep, fading, catch and shoot, he’s a true three-point specialist. In his last six seasons, Allen has shot over 40% from deep in all but two of them, and the two he didn’t, he shot at least 39.1% from downtown.
Although he’s a willing defender, Allen is undersized to guard forwards, and his agility limits him from being more of a shot creator on offense and a strong perimeter defender. While he doesn’t get to the free throw line often, Allen shoots nearly 86% from the charity stripe for his career.
While he didn’t have much of a chance to show it off last year, Allen had success when he played point guard his first year in the Valley. His crowning performance at point guard also came against the Utah Jazz, when he had 14 assists back in February of 2024.
One Key Factor
Allen’s future in the Valley is unclear. Despite being under contract for the next few seasons, his age and position make it unclear whether he’ll be in the Valley long-term. The Suns moved up to draft Kentucky’s Koby Brea, who has a skill set similar to Allen’s and is obviously much cheaper and younger.
While his shooting may be valuable to teams, the amount of years and money left on his deal may leave the Valley in a position that they have to attach draft compensation to deal him.
If Allen is on the team for the season, his shooting can alleviate some defensive pressure from Devin Booker and Jalen Green, and potentially give new center Mark Williams more room to operate inside. With fewer point guards on the roster than a season ago, it will be interesting to see if Allen resumes some ball-handling duties.
Prediction Time
If he’s on the team throughout the year, Allen has a defined role as the roster’s marksmen and will help both the team’s guards and bigs operate with more space. If he’s having a strong season, I think it’s more likely that he’s dealt because the Suns can clear more time for younger players and continue to recuperate all the assets that they’ve lost over the past few seasons.
If Jalen Green or Dillon Brooks are ever out of the lineup, expect Allen to take their spot and play alongside Devin Booker in the starting lineup, something he did two seasons ago. I expect a slightly better year from Allen compared to last year, with a more defined role.
Stat Prediction: 71 games played, 12.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.6 SPG on 46/43/86 shooting splits
Final Thoughts
While he’s been one of the more reliable players the last few seasons in the Valley, it will be interesting to see if he stays on the roster throughout the season, with the Suns continuing to turnover their roster and go in a younger direction.
