Two Underrated Suns Who Will Shine This Season

The NBA community widely believes the Phoenix Suns have a five-man rotation for crunch time minutes this season- Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Eric Gordon, Kevin Durant, and Deandre Ayton. These will likely be the five players that will be called upon the most to step up in big moments.

Even with that expectation, there are two specific players that were brought in this summer who could surprise and even stake a claim to be apart of potential playoff rotations.

Yuta Watanabe

Watanabe committing to Phoenix excited much of the Suns' fanbase, but it feels like many NBA fans dismissed the signing. Watanabe passed on a more lucrative offer from another franchise to be a key contributor in Phoenix, and if his time with Kevin Durant says anything, it's that he is a perfect fit in Phoenix's new offense.

His ability to defend isn't given enough attention either, as he isn't a lockdown perimeter defender but can more than hold his own.

I mentioned it on the podcast but Yuta Watanabe is not just a stand still in the corner shooter. He has the juice for the Suns to experiment more with him screening, shooting off movement, and in transition. pic.twitter.com/vd5KKmvsZj
— Mike Vigil (@protectedpick) July 25, 2023

Jordan Goodwin

The Suns were so high on Goodwin's upside that the front office made the decision to move on from Cam Payne. Goodwin projects as a bit of a project on offense, but his strong build and solid wingspan coupled with his sheer tenacity may remind some of Jevon Carter.

The Saint Louis Billikens' product has a surprising amount of upside. If the jumper comes along consistently he could be a long-term rotation piece and a contributor right now.

Undrafted from St Louis University, Jordan Goodwin looked great against MEM, and then went for 17 pts, 7-7 FG, 5 ast, 4 rbs, & 2 blk in 21 min last night

Smooth floats, in-control/creative playmaking, & shot creation. Seizing his opportunity on a guard-lite Wiz—love to see it!! pic.twitter.com/I4n7rc6T40
— NBA University (@NBA_University) November 8, 2022

These two new additions to the roster should be closely monitored by Suns fans this season, as both could be unexpected contributors in the race for the Larry O'Brien trophy.