Grades: Key Suns' Contributors at All-Star Break

PHOENIX -- Tonight's All-Star game serves as the proverbial midway point of the 2024-25 season for the Phoenix Suns.

With that, the 26-28 squad will look to rally with one of the more difficult remaining schedules across the NBA.

To make that a reality, the team will need more consistent contributions from the seven mainstays in the rotation since early in the season.

Nick Richards, Bol Bol, and others have flashed moments of brilliance - but don't have the volume to be considered currently.

A comprehensive grade of these rotation players through 54 games - taking availability, consistency, all-around play, and more into account here.

Kevin Durant - A

Durant has been one of the saving graces of this underwhelming season for the Suns.

The now 15-time All-Star is on track to be an All-NBA selection for the 12th time if he meets the 65-game threshold to be eligible for the honor.

He is averaging his best scoring average as a member of the franchise (27.3) while still serving as an impact player on the defensive side of the ball.

Durant has been as consistent as any player in the NBA - save for Nikola Jokic and a small handful of others. He has been every bit as good as expected coming into the season. He is the major reason why this season hasn't gone into a deeper tailspin.

Suns fans should not take the all-time great talent for granted.

Devin Booker - B+

Booker got off to a tepid start in November and through parts of December, but has looked every bit of the All-NBA player that he was in 2024 since.

Booker ranks 8th in PPG (26.2) and 11th in APG (6.7) while also grading out as an All-Star level player when it comes to offensive metrics such as box plus-minus.

Booker's surge over the last month-plus has certainly served Phoenix well, but the start cannot be ignored.

The franchise all-time leading scorer has a chance to work his way back into 'A' territory over the final 26 games.

Bradley Beal - C+

The second-year Sun hasn't been "bad" by any means thus far.

However, he has been inconsistent - with as many quiet performances as good-to-great ones. ]

This is particularly disappointing, as the former scoring champion was expected to be an ideal fit in Mike Budenholzer's system - there has yet to be a clear niche where the Florida product can consistently thrive in.

At the end of the day, he is still generally productive and brings value to the offense - that must be acknowledged.

Royce O'Neale - B

O'Neale had a rough month of January - coming off of an ankle sprain in late December that forced him to miss two weeks of action.

That stretch likely cost the swingman a higher grade - as he has been superb in the other three full months of the season.

The veteran sharpshooter has been a useful on defense for a squad that sorely needs even serviceable defenders. He has remained typically turnover-averse, while also having his best three-point shooting season ever by a wide margin.

The contract Phoenix gave O'Neale is looking to be a wise decision so far - that's for sure.

Tyus Jones - C

Jones has cooled off significantly since his phenomenal stretch of play from early November to the end of the year - that has impacted this overall grade greatly.

His recent inefficient outings and inability to hold his own on the defensive side of the ball has ultimately hurt the team.

The Suns' offense is actually slightly worse this season compared to last - all metrics considered, and the defensive drop-off has constituted a significantly more inconsistent win/loss output compared to the 33-21 mark the franchise had at this point last season.

Jones is far from the main piece in the equation to blame, but the last two months haven't given any justification to the narrative that Phoenix needed a point guard.

Ryan Dunn - B-

The rookie has been a pleasant surprise for the Suns so far this season - to the point of being selected to the Rising Stars challenge over the weekend.

Sure, the University of Virginia product has experienced some growing pains on the offensive side of the ball.

That was to be expected.

The flashes that Dunn has shown as a spot-up shooter, fast break threat, and cut man should be seen as extraordinarily encouraging to anyone that is paying attention - that isn't even taking his superb defense into account.

The future is bright for the 28th pick in the 2024 draft.

Grayson Allen - C+

It took much more time for Allen to find his footing this season compared to last - but his three-point marksmanship, clutch moments, and underrated playmaking chops have come around over the last several weeks.

He still hasn't been as consistent as last season, but the high-end performances are still there and he is a very valuable member of the team moving forward.

The Suns are in action again this coming Thursday - as they are set to take on the San Antonio Spurs in Austin, Texas.