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The Phoenix Suns are heading into the 2026-27 season with designs of building upon a 45-win campaign that concluded in April.
Hopes of bringing home a first NBA title are currently muted, however, with much of the reservation being rooted in a lack of a true co-star alongside Devin Booker. While plenty of Booker's teammates are capable of being spark-plug scorers, another question remains in the midst of everything - who will be the second leading scorer on the Suns this season?
Jalen Green is quite possibly the top contender to be Booker's de-facto sidekick this season. The 2021 lottery pick failed to qualify for scoring leaderboards last season (only played 32 games), but he technically placed third on the team with 17.8 PPG.
Green remains one of the streakier players in the league, but three 30-point showings in the regular season, a strong month of March, and 71 points combined in Phoenix's play-in games in April all point to a player that still owns an absurd ceiling. Expect a more favorable health situation, a second season in Jordan Ott's system, and playing alongside Booker to be major factors in the intriguing talent taking another step forward in year six.
Dillon Brooks was the second-leading scorer for the Suns via technicality - as the Oregon product only played 56 games and was ineligible to be on statistical leaderboards. While the 2017 second-round selection has battled with inconsistency as a scorer through his first nine seasons in the league, he has certainly become more comfortable as a shot creator over time.
Brooks' 34.4% clip from three-point range last season was his lowest since the 2022-23 season, but his heroics during Phoenix's first-round playoff defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, as well as carrying the scoring burden during moments when Booker was absent from the lineup boosted his stock an immense amount.
Brooks and Green should be presumed to be the two players with the highest shooting volume outside of Booker, but could any surprise candidates be in the fold? Miles Bridges has been a 20 PPG scorer in the past. Collin Gillespie has potential to follow in the footsteps of a similar player such as Payton Pritchard in the event of receiving an expanded role. Even Khaman Maluach has immense upside as a scorer if he sees the floor more often in year two.
Ultimately, the likelihood is that Green will be Booker's sidekick, but only time will tell who actually takes advantage of this wide-open arrangement.
Continue reading...
Hopes of bringing home a first NBA title are currently muted, however, with much of the reservation being rooted in a lack of a true co-star alongside Devin Booker. While plenty of Booker's teammates are capable of being spark-plug scorers, another question remains in the midst of everything - who will be the second leading scorer on the Suns this season?
Jalen Green is quite possibly the top contender to be Booker's de-facto sidekick this season. The 2021 lottery pick failed to qualify for scoring leaderboards last season (only played 32 games), but he technically placed third on the team with 17.8 PPG.
Green remains one of the streakier players in the league, but three 30-point showings in the regular season, a strong month of March, and 71 points combined in Phoenix's play-in games in April all point to a player that still owns an absurd ceiling. Expect a more favorable health situation, a second season in Jordan Ott's system, and playing alongside Booker to be major factors in the intriguing talent taking another step forward in year six.
Dillon Brooks was the second-leading scorer for the Suns via technicality - as the Oregon product only played 56 games and was ineligible to be on statistical leaderboards. While the 2017 second-round selection has battled with inconsistency as a scorer through his first nine seasons in the league, he has certainly become more comfortable as a shot creator over time.
Brooks' 34.4% clip from three-point range last season was his lowest since the 2022-23 season, but his heroics during Phoenix's first-round playoff defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, as well as carrying the scoring burden during moments when Booker was absent from the lineup boosted his stock an immense amount.
Brooks and Green should be presumed to be the two players with the highest shooting volume outside of Booker, but could any surprise candidates be in the fold? Miles Bridges has been a 20 PPG scorer in the past. Collin Gillespie has potential to follow in the footsteps of a similar player such as Payton Pritchard in the event of receiving an expanded role. Even Khaman Maluach has immense upside as a scorer if he sees the floor more often in year two.
Ultimately, the likelihood is that Green will be Booker's sidekick, but only time will tell who actually takes advantage of this wide-open arrangement.
Continue reading...
