About every 10 games this season, I’ll pulse my top-3 candidates in each of eight categories. This one comes on the heels of an easy Suns win, their third in the last four games, as they continue to work on undoing a rough 1-5 start. All of these will be debatable, so have at it in the chat.
Most Valuable Sun
- Devin Booker
- Luke Kennard
- Oso Ighodaro
Booker has had a key role in each of the Suns’ wins thus far. The losses may be more about the pieces around him not fitting, or playing well enough. Kennard has provided much-needed shooting and playmaking with
incredible efficiency (see below) and is second in net rating. Oso has been far from perfect thus far, but his presence in the starting lineup provided significantly better flow to the offense and smarter defensive rotation.
Rising Suns
- Ryan Dunn
- Khaman Maluach
- Jordan Goodwin
Dunn’s stock is on fire. He has a true shooting percentage of 63%; see more below on his defense. Maluach is developing and getting valuable experience reps. Shows occasional flashes, be it a dominant block or hitting a three. The hands and defensive rotation need to improve to keep him on the rise. After last night’s game, I moved Goodwin up to the third slot. He’s becoming much more than hustle, rebounding and defense. He’s hit 3 or more three-pointers in each of his last three full game appearances, hitting 13 of 22 (59%) over that span.
Setting Suns
- Jalen Green
- Rasheer Fleming
- Backup point guards (Jamaree Bouyea, Pat Spencer)
Green has been a lightning rod for frustration so far. He gives good effort most of the time, and seems to be trying to do his assigned role – assists up slightly in recent games – but it seems unnatural. As a result, his value is declining. Fleming has battled health issues, but fell out of the rotation before that. Bouyea and Spencer are just not getting any minutes; I thought there was a role to be had here, on occasions when a change of pace is necessary.
Suns Scorers
- Devin Booker
- Luke Kennard
- Dillon Brooks
Booker’s overall ability to get shots, draw fouls (34% free throw rate), and make free throws (94%) has him leading the team at over 25 points per night. He also plays his usual facilitation role with a 23% assist%. Kennard has a 74% true shooting percentage at 49% from three-point range, and has a 6.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. Brooks is at 42% from downtown, and still has that mid-post game.
Sun Blockers
- Ryan Dunn
- Oso Ighodaro
- Collin Gillespie
Disclaimer on this category: the team’s defense has been subpar. Dunn’s defensive rating of 99 is 10 points better than the second-best Sun, Ighodaro, who provides defensive versatility. Gillespie is third in the NBA at 3.0 steals per 36 minutes.
Outworking the Sunrise
- Ryan Dunn
- Jordan Goodwin
- Collin Gillespie
Dunn also shows up here, seemingly going all-out during his limited minutes. Goodwin is so good at hustling that I have him on here despite playing only 5 ½ games of the 10 games due to a calf injury. Gillespie is always hustling, moving the most distance per minute of any Phoenix player and at a team-topping average speed of 4.73 mph.
Most Likely to Leave Suns’ Orbit
- Jalen Green
- Rasheer Fleming
- Dillon Brooks
Despite his athleticism, Green has not met the expectations of his contract thus far in Phoenix. He is a popular fan target for a trade shakeup. I hope not right now, as his value is at a low. I’m hoping they get him into a sixth-man-type role where maybe he could cook. Fleming has size and a skill set that showed flashes last season. I could see other teams wanting him as part of a deal. The wild card: Brooks. If the season spirals, a contender desiring a toughness element may value him, and the Suns should consider it for the right younger piece.
Best Suns Win
- Nov 7 – Houston 99, Phoenix 102
- Nov 10 – LA Clippers 110, Phoenix 133
- Nov 5 – Orlando 104, Phoenix 117
Saturday’s win over the Rockets easily tops this list now. Positive signs began to show in the Magic win, but last night’s dominant win over the Clippers moves into the #2 slot.
