SunsRank. It’s a term Dave King used every year as we put together a hierarchy of the Phoenix Suns roster. Who is the best player? The second best? The fourteenth? You don’t know unless you go through the exercise.
It’s fascinating to observe the myriad perspectives that emerge from both the fan base and the Bright Side writing team when assessing the roster, each bringing a unique interpretation to the notion of “best”. This diversity highlights the subjective nature deliberately inherent in the term. If “best” were solely dictated by objective statistics, it would leave little space for passionate debates and nuanced discussions that enrich our understanding and appreciation of the team.
As July fades into August, it is time to begin the SunsRank discussions, using the Bright Side writing team’s rankings as a basis for the questioning. Putting this together allows us to track progress from season to season. Never forget when then Bright Side contributor Kellan Olsen ranked Booker the 6th best player on the team prior to the 2016-17 season.
Where has the Bright Side team ranked every member of the Suns? Where would you rank them? Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll begin to reveal the rankings from our writing team, compare notes, and see if you agree.
First up?
Tier 1: Booker or Durant
Who is first and who is second? The Phoenix Suns, despite having a “Big Three”, have two players who are on the top tier of the roster. Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, who are both Paris-bound to represent the United States of America in the 2024 Paris Olympics, are the duo-alphas on the Suns. The question becomes who is numero uno in SunsRank 2024.
Our writing team is currently giving the edge to Durant, by the slimmest of margins:
SunsRank: Who is the best player on the Suns?© Provided by SB Nation
As you can see, the race for number one is tight between Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. And with good reason. One player has been a mainstay of greatness in the NBA since the Bush administration. The other is a player in his prime and just had the best overall statistical season of his career. It makes for interesting debate.
Suns Will Not Look to Trade Kevin Durant This Offseason Stadium NBA insider Shams Charania explains why the Suns will not be shopping star Kevin Durant this offseason. We gotta go to the NBA insider Sham Sharan with a news update presented by AT&T five G fast,
Do you factor in attitude and effort into your personal perception and ranking of the “best” player on the Phoenix Suns? One goes about his business, says (almost) all of the right things — chillin’ aside — and has been a mainstay in the Valley for nearly a decade. The other lashes out at managing editors for running fan sites, is on his fourth team in the NBA, and sits on the side of the bench during timeouts.
Oh. Maybe that is why he hates me.
But still, Durant comes in at the top of the list for me. Why? If the game is in the balance, I ask myself who I want to take that final shot. It’s Durant for me every time. His jumper is too pure, and when he takes a shot, I almost always feel like it’s going in. His physical gifts coupled with his skill set make him darn near unguardable. It’s close, but KD gets top billing.
Who do you give the top slot to? Let us know, and tell us why, in the comments below.