Four Suns Finish in B/R Top 100 Player Rankings
We're less than a week away from Phoenix Suns basketball, and now is the prime opportunity to squeeze every last bit of offseason content possible.
From us to our friends at Bleacher Report that rings true, and much like every other major outlet, B/R recently released their Top 100 NBA player rankings.
Four Suns cracked the list; here's where they landed:
58. Mikal Bridges
Highest Ranking: 35
Lowest Ranking: 86
"Chris Paul being another year older and Jae Crowder likely headed elsewhere means that Mikal Bridges may be entrusted to do a little more this season. Even if he doesn't, he's already among the game's most valuable three-and-D wings.
"Over the past two seasons, Alec Burks, Nicolas Batum and Kawhi Leonard are the only players who match or exceed both of Bridges' marks for defensive box plus/minus (1.0) and three-point percentage (39.7)."
—Andy Bailey
40. Deandre Ayton
Highest Ranking: 32
Lowest Ranking: 56
"Deandre Ayton is one of the best two-way centers in the league. He protects the basket without fouling and can score efficiently in the post against some of the NBA's top defenders.
"The Phoenix Suns don't always prioritize getting Ayton the ball, and his contract saga over the last year seemed to fracture chemistry. But if the Suns can get their groove back, Ayton's importance cannot be understated."
—Eric Pincus
31. Chris Paul
Highest Ranking: 18
Lowest Ranking: 52
"Predicting where Chris Paul finishes this season is tricky, given the future Hall of Famer will turn 38 in May. For now, he deserves our respect as one of the best floor generals in the league.
"Paul led the NBA in assists per game last season (10.8) for the fifth time in his career but just the first since 2014-15 when he was a member of the Los Angeles Clippers. He's one of the league's best clutch performers and fadeaway elbow-jumper artists who can still get after it defensively. Perhaps no player understands the game more than Paul, and he will continue to lean on his mental fortitude even more as he enters his 18th season."
—Greg Swartz
13. Devin Booker
Highest Ranking: 6
Lowest Ranking: 31
"Devin Booker just finished fourth on the MVP ballot, and yet, it still feels like his stardom is being somewhat repressed.
"Finishing 13th is no insult, to be clear. It’s accurate. This league is deep. But there remains a tendency to stash him behind Chris Paul’s shadow, or to diminish his impact on the basis of circumstances beyond his control (i.e. The Suns weren’t good until CP3’s arrival).
"Not enough appreciation is shown for the bankability of Booker's scoring. There is a reason the Suns unraveled in the second round of the playoffs when the Mavericks reformatted their entire defense to harass him. Among 278 players to clear at least 30 touches per game last season, he placed first in points per touch. And he ranked fourth in this same category for 2019-20 and 2020-21.
"There is also an underappreciation for the passes he throws once he gets downhill. The Suns would do well to give him more floor-general reps in the half court—particularly given the state of this year's bench."
—Dan Favale
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