Suns Prominently Featured in Yearly NBA GM Poll
The annual official NBA general manager poll was released just two weeks before the 2023-24 NBA season tips off. General managers across the league are asked a wide variety of questions, including who is the best player at the position, the most appealing player to build a franchise around, and more.
The Phoenix Suns are unsurprisingly prominently featured as a team that has title aspirations, a trio of stars, and a bevy of national television games. Upcoming are some recognitions the Suns received:
Which team will win the 2024 NBA Finals?
Phoenix Suns stars Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal could potentially lead the team to their first NBA title
The Phoenix Suns were fourth place in this poll, with 7% of votes going their way. Ahead of them were Denver and Boston which were tied at 33%, as well as Milwaukee at 23%. The L.A. Clippers were the only other team featured at 3%.
Phoenix was also projected to be the second best in the West at 26%, trailing Denver's 35.
Who is the best shooting guard in the NBA?
Devin Booker was far and away rated as the best shooting guard in basketball with 63% of votes going his way. Booker improved on last year's mark of 45% and is further entrenching himself as the best 2-guard in the game.
Others receiving votes were Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Who is the best small forward in the NBA?
Kevin Durant was rated as the second-best small forward in the NBA with 20% of vote share. Jayson Tatum was first at 47%. This is a surprising development, as Durant has been pretty consistently considered better than Tatum by various outlets despite the Celtics star rise to superstardom.
Durant also got 3% of vote share for best power forward in the league. Giannis Antetokounmpo received the other 97%.
Which one player acquisition will make the biggest impact?
Bradley Beal came in third in this department, behind Damian Lillard's acquisition by Milwaukee at 47% and Jrue Holiday's acquisition by Boston at 13% Beal got 10% of the vote share. It's quite surprising to see Holiday over Beal, as Beal has been considered a significantly better player for years, and appears to be a great fit in Phoenix.
Obviously the season needs to play out, but Beal could be getting underrated.
What was the most underrated player acquisition?
Jusuf Nurkic came in third on this poll, behind Marcus Smart at 17%, Grant Williams at 14%, and tied with Dillon Brooks, Bruce Brown, Max Strus, and Fred VanVleet.
Phoenix's Nurkic add drew a polarized response from the basketball world, but general managers appear to believe the Bosnian Beast will fit well in Phoenix and will make a mark impact wise.
Which head coach has the best defensive schemes?
Frank Vogel tied for fourth in this category. The defensive guru has coached top 10 defenses in all but four seasons as a head coach. Erik Spoelstra (Miami) was by far first place with a 40% share, while Taylor Jenkins (Memphis) and Tom Thibodeau (New York) tied for second at 13%. Vogel tied with J.B. Bickerstaff (Cleveland) and Tyronn Lue (L.A. Clippers.)
Which new or relocated head coach will make the biggest impact on his new team?
Frank Vogel was third in this category at 13% of the vote share. Ime Udoka (Houston) far and away came in first with 50% of the vote here. Former Suns and current Pistons head man Monty Williams was second with 17%.
Who is the best assistant coach in the NBA?
Suns associate head coach Kevin Young, the highest paid assistant coach in the NBA, and tied for second in the poll for best assistant coach in the entire league at 10%. Young has been a hot comodity when it comes to drawing head coaching interest, and appears to be in line to get a chance at his own team in the near future. Sacramento Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez was far and away rated as the best assistant with 31% of the share.
Which team is the most fun to watch?
Phoenix was the last of the four teams to receive a significant share of votes at 7%. Those looking to watch Phoenix will have plenty of opportunities to catch them this season, as nearly half of their 82 games are on national TV. Denver came in first at 30%, Golden State came in second at 23, and Sacramento third at 20.
Which team will have the league’s most efficient offense this season?
Phoenix tied for fifth with Milwaukee at 7%. Denver was a comfortable first place selection, followed by Sacramento, Golden State, and Boston.
Which player would you want taking a shot with the game on the line?
Kevin Durant came in second at 27%, only superseded by Steph Curry at 37%. Durant has been considered a clutch player ever since the 2017 NBA Finals and that reputation continues to stick even after two straight ugly playoff exits. Devin Booker surprisingly didn't get mentioned.
Former Suns Mikal Bridges and Chris Paul were each featured in the poll as well. Bridges came in second place for best perimeter defender in the NBA and Paul was voted as the most likely current player to become a head coach.
