Appreciating Shawn Marion's Impact on the Phoenix Suns
Shawn Marion, a 16-year NBA veteran, will officially enter the Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor this year. Nine years of Marion’s career was spent in Phoenix, where 660 career games in a Suns uniform helped launch Marion’s career and solidify his impact around the league and in the Valley.
In terms of all time Suns statistics, Marion ranks:
Fifth in all-time points
Second in all-time total rebounds
Second in all-time total steals
Third in all-time blocks
First in all-time win shares, three whole wins above the next
Drafted ninth overall in 1999, Marion began his career with the Suns as a young forward who came onto the NBA scene relatively quickly. In his rookie season, Marion averaged 10.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 51 games played.
Marion’s career numbers would steadily increase his first few seasons with the Suns, which led to an All-Star appearance in 2003. The 03-04 season solidified Marion as a young star in the league after he became only one of two players to rank in the top-30 in scoring, rebounds, assists, blocks and minutes played.
Marion’s years with the Suns came at a time when Phoenix basketball was having another renaissance of success after the late 1990’s produced promising years. Along with G Steve Nash, Marion and the Suns battled through adverse times of the early 2000’s to reach a championship contending level by the mid 2000’s.
A key component to the Suns' success during this time was the style of play. A revolutionary faster offensive mindset was implemented by head coach Mike D’Antoni.
Under the “Seven Seconds or Less” offense, the Suns and Marion changed the ways some offenses were structured after finding success. The run-and-gun style of play was ahead of its time for the early 2000’s, and with the continuation of evolving offenses in the NBA today, the Suns had an influential beginning thanks to certain players.
One of those players was undoubtedly Marion. His versatility on both sides of the ball made it possible for D’Antoni to put Marion at multiple positions throughout the game and be able to confidently guard the opposition and contend for rebounds.
In 2005, Marion became only the second player in NBA history to finish top-five in rebounds and steals. In 2006, Marion became the first player ever to repeat this feat for a second straight season.
After the 2007 season which saw the Suns make the Western Conference Semifinals and lost to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs, trade talks between Marion and the Suns began to heat up. After years of shortcomings, the Suns dealt Marion and Marcus Banks to Miami for Shaquille O’Neal.
The statistic that should jump off the page about the kind of player Marion was for the Suns should be the all-time leader in win shares.
Per 48 minutes, win shares take ratings from offense, defense and playing time to calculate how much a player contributes to the team. With Marion’s lead being three whole wins above the next, this showcases his ability to impact the game on all aspects.
Marion’s impact with the Suns goes further than just wins and loses however. Marion was a critical player in the popularity of Suns basketball during a time when Phoenix were a struggling franchise.
Over the nine years in the Valley, Marion was a notable beacon of hope for fans of not only the purple and orange, but also for the fans or hustlers, players who played the game with grit and showed effort no matter the result.
Marion’s number will be retired in the coming weeks and forever be immortalized in the Suns franchise as an impactful player. He will join 10 other players with numbers retired and be the 16th person in the Suns' Ring of Honor.
