Suns Tout Two Top 10 Players in NBA Rankings

It's no surprise to see names such as Kevin Durant and Devin Booker among some of the league's best.

In The Ringer's recent player rankings for the upcoming season, the Phoenix Suns featured two players in their top ten:

After Nikola Jokic, Steph Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo grabbed top three honors, Kevin Durant was right behind them at No. 4:

Kevin O'Connor: "Given his age and injury history, you’d think KD would have declined on defense from his time playing all over the floor for the Warriors, including as a small-ball 5. But defense is just as much part of the reason why the Suns gave up so much to acquire him. Luka Doncic and the Mavericks were shredding the Nets early this season, so Durant demanded that he guard Doncic one-on-one. 

"He stuck to Luka like glue, fighting over screens, drawing fouls, and diving on the floor for loose balls. It was a reminder that KD can stop anyone when he wants to while also remaining the inevitable offensive force that he’s been forever."

Following Durant were Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic, Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler. 

Rounding up the top ten was Devin Booker at No. 10.

Rob Mahoney: "All anyone can really do against Booker is aim to take away the easiest possible opportunities. That feels impossible given that the most unheralded part of Booker’s game is that he plays hard, scooping up even more points in transition and sprinting through actions to keep the offense moving.

"Opposing teams have keyed in on some of the go-to curls that the Suns run for Booker, but it just doesn’t matter. Forcing him to catch higher on the floor just means one of the deadliest scorers in the game gets to wave up a teammate for a pick-and-roll, and serve up a gourmet bucket a different way.

"The worst one could say of Booker is that he’s very good at almost everything, but not quite as exceptional at getting to the rim or drawing fouls compared to the ultra-elite company he now keeps. This is a high performer being measured against the loftiest possible standard. Considering how the arc of his career has gone to this point, it may be only a matter of time before Booker closes the gap."

Former Suns forward Mikal Bridges was a bit later down the list at No. 37 while new Suns guard Bradley Beal (No. 42) and former Phoenix guard Chris Paul (No. 48) also cracked the Top 50.