Three Underrated Suns to Watch This Season
The Phoenix Suns' three-headed beast of G Devin Booker, G Bradley Beal and F Kevin Durant will be the headliners this year. But what might surprise not only Suns fans - but fans around the league - is some of the remaining Suns contributors that will be an underrated element to this teams success this season.
Some of the most underappreciated talent in the NBA lies in the Valley of the Sun this season, here’s a look into what makes them special and of high importance for Phoenix in 2023-24:
Yuta Watanabe
Although Japan went 1-2 in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Yuta Watanabe showed his capabilities on the international stage for Akatsuki Japan. Watanabe averaged 35 minutes per game with 14.8 points per game on 42.9% shooting all in five games.
Watanabe’s performance in the 2023 FIBA World Cup is a testament to his growing stock in America as a serviceable NBA player. It would not be surprising to see Watanabe have a breakout season if used properly by the Suns.
His combination of three-point shooting as well as his willing defensive play shows why Watanabe is an underrated pickup for the Suns this offseason. His pairing with Durant and Booker will play out as the year goes on, but expect Watanabe to hit some big 3-pointers and play stout defense during the season.
Josh Okogie
Okogie returns to the Suns after playing in 72 games for Phoenix last year where the 25-year-old showed promise as an elite defender. Okogie’s role for the Suns this season will be similar to last season, just in more volume and higher importance.
In order for Okogie to stay on the floor for this Suns team, he will need to defend at an above average rate, which he is known to do. Okogie had a defensive rating of 112.6 last season as his minutes were limited. Expect to see his defense and make a more noticeable difference this season with more playing time.
Okogie's defensive reputation has landed him a potential spot in the starting five to begin the year.
What makes Okogie such an underrated aspect to this team is his versatility as a defender. It will be easy for Vogel to draw up defense and switches because Okogie is able to guard three of five positions with ease while on the floor. His abnormally long arms and hands add difficulty for opponents to get passes down low into the paint and puts Okogie at the top of the list as far as pure defenders on the team go.
Drew Eubanks
More of a traditional big-man and will offer a larger back-to-the-basketball look than Deandre Ayton at the center position, Drew Eubanks will be an underrated element to the Suns this season. While in Portland, Eubanks was used primarily as a screen and roll big. In Phoenix, it's hard to imagine that role changing much, especially with him coming off the bench.
Eubanks' ability to spin and finish is a separating factor on offense for the big-man entering his eighth NBA season. His touch around the rim is noticeable with both hands and is even comfortable attacking the rim with one or both feet.
His rebounding is what will make or break Eubanks’ usage in Phoenix. The 6’10” big man will have to go up against some of the bigger, more experienced centers around the league and battle for rebounds while Ayton is not on the floor.
As the bench center, Eubanks will need to showcase the ability to clean the glass as the primary big-man off the bench until another big-man inserts himself into the discussion.
