SunsRank 7: Voting for the Suns’ seventh-best player gets a little dicey

The top six players have been voted in and so far there have been no surprises. There’s such a great feeling in knowing that five of them are young and all but one is under control of the Phoenix Suns for the foreseeable future. They should see some bright times together and I’m looking forward to enjoying it.

Here’s the rankings so far...

1. Devin Booker

2. Deandre Ayton

3. Ricky Rubio

4. Mikal Bridges

5. Kelly Oubre Jr.

6. Cameron Johnson

Kelly Oubre Jr. has one year left on his deal. The other five have at least two more seasons under team control. The future is as bright as the sun and what we saw in the bubble is only the start of things to come.

My fellow writers have touched on all this quite a bit so let’s jump right in. Now is your turn to vote on your 7^th-best player on the Suns roster!

Dario Saric, Big, Age 26

Ranks on the Suns: 24.7 Min/g (6th), 3.6 3PA/g (5th), 35.7% 3P (6th), 6.2 Reb/g (3rd), 1.9 Ast/g (6th), 55.4% eFG (6th)

The case for Saric: Point Dario, anyone? Saric played very well in the bubble and moving him to the bench was such a good move by Monty Williams. He was able to show off his playmaking, something he had not been able do display really as a starter. Shooting even better from distance, standing up on defense and just going to work each day was a very welcome sight and a big reason why the Suns went 8-0.

The case against Saric: During the regular season, there were a lot of knocks on him and rightfully so. He just wasn’t panning out to be anywhere near what Phoenix was looking for when they traded for him. He isn’t that athletic and is not a defensive stopper by any means so his three-point shooting and spacing were his biggest pros and you want to see better than 35 percent from long range. He definitely contributes but there is a reason why he went to the bench in the bubble.

Aron Baynes, Big, Age 33

Ranks on the Suns: 22.2 Min/g (8th), 11.1 Pts/g (5th), 4.0 3PA/g (4th), 35.1% 3P (10th), 5.6 Reb/g (4th), 0.5 Blks/g (4th), 55.8% eFG (5th)

The case for Baynes: When Deandre Ayton was suspended one game into the season, Baynes stepped up in a big way. He was very physical, protected the rim and made half his threes on a Suns team that was above .500 through the first 13 games. As Dave said, that game against the Blazers where he scored 37 points and made nine triples really showed how much of a factor he was when healthy. Coming from the bench in Boston, he arguably could have been in the NBA’s Most Improved Player conversation this year. That’s extremely rare for a 33 year old.

The case against Baynes: The injury bug bit hard and he missed almost half the team’s games and didn’t play in Orlando. Also, he is 33 and will be a free agent. As much as I enjoyed seeing him in a Suns uniform, will he stay in one?

Jevon Carter, Guard, Age 24

Ranks on the Suns: 16.3 Min/g (11th), 4.9 Pts/g (11th), 2.5 3PA/g (10th), 42.5% 3P (2nd), 1.4 Asts/g (11th), 0.8 Stls/g (5^th), 2.6 Asts/To (3^rd), 1.3 DBPM (2^nd)

The case for Carter: “Coach Carter” is one of those players where the stats do not tell the story. However, if you dive deeper you see his worth and he is very valuable to this team. His defensive intensity, ability to pick pockets and hit clutch threes need to be appreciated. He loves stepping up in big moments as well. In the bubble, he netted 16 of his 29 treys (55.2%), had 3 steals and 2 blocks against the Thunder and made 6 of 8 long bombs for 20 points against Miami.

The case against Carter: It’s honestly hard to find things you don’t like about him but if we’re going to be nitpicky I guess you talk on him being more of a 3-and-D guy than what you look for in a point guard. He’s exactly the type of player any team would love to have. Jevon had an astonishing 19 dimes to a single turnover in the bubble. However, the biggest fault with him is his inability to rack up assists. He averaged 1.4 in the regular season and 2.4 in Orlando. Those numbers need to go up.

Now it’s your turn! Cast your vote.