Welcome to our Phoenix Suns Season in Review series, where we revisit every player who suited up during the 2025–26 campaign through the lens of expectation, reality, and what it ultimately meant.
Player Snapshot
- Position: SF/PF
- Age: 24
- Contract Status: Two-Way, RFA in 2027-28
- SunsRank (Preseason): 18
- SunsRank (Postseason): 18
*SunsRank is based on Bright Side writers’ ranking.
Season in One Sentence
From undrafted to two-way to waived to two-way, the rookie year for CJ Huntley was full of earning opportunities and the establishment of his personal foundation.
By the Numbers
Let’s take a look at his stats with the Valley Suns.
The Expectation
There were not many expectations for CJ
Huntley entering the season. When you are the last man on the roster, that is the reality. He signed a two-way contract with the Suns after he went undrafted. Not long into the season, Phoenix waived him to create space for Jamaree Bouyea. Huntley cleared waivers and stayed in the mix. Later in the year, after a few subsequent moves, the Suns brought him back on a two-way deal.
From an expectations standpoint, the goal was simple. Get reps. Learn in the G.
The Reality
The reality with Huntley is that he is a solid foundational piece to have at the back end of a roster. There is room to grow, but the tools are there. He has size, he plays with a motor, and over five years at Appalachian State, he showed steady improvement from three. Around the rim, he has a natural feel for finishing.
The challenge shows up on the defensive end. In his Valley Suns run, there were flashes offensively that stood out. Defensively, there were lapses in positioning, slower reactions, and moments where the read was a beat late. Those are areas that can develop, but at 24, you are also weighing how much growth is still coming.
Could he become a rotation piece? It feels unlikely. As a deep bench option, someone you keep in your system and turn to when needed, he makes sense.
What It Means
Having him under contract on a two-way through next season is a smart move for Phoenix. Is he turning into the next great power forward? Probably not. But what he can provide — size, effort, and the potential to space the floor as a 3-and-D wing — has value. You want those kinds of guys in your organization. Because they may hit, and if they don’t, they are ideal players to sharpen the iron of those around them.
Defining Moment
The best moment of the season for Huntley came with the Valley Suns on the day he signed his two-way contract. He went off that night and gave you a glimpse of what he can be offensively.
Grade: B-
Huntley is the kind of player you like having in your system, and based on expectations coming into the season, I land on a B-.
That is what makes these grades interesting. It depends on what you are measuring. If this were based strictly on his impact with the Phoenix Suns, it would be an F. He did not factor in at that level. The B- reflects what he showed in the G League and how that aligned with what I expected. You could even argue for an A. There were no real expectations attached to him. He met the moment that was there.
What we saw in Summer League carried over. He popped. The question was always sustainability, and the G League gave a clearer answer. There is something there. There is also a ceiling. And it feels finite.
