Suns Stars Continue to be Disrespected

The trio of stars on the Suns feel underrated in these player rankings.

Dec 13, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3), guard Devin Booker (1) and forward Kevin Durant (35) against Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (1) at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- Training camp for the 2024-25 Phoenix Suns is set to open with 2024 Media Day on September 30. With that comes the inherent player rankings and debates surrounding how good individual players are.

Hoopshype previously ranked Devin Booker and Kevin Durant among the best at their respective positions, but the overall ranks of 11 for Durant and 16 for Booker feel fairly disrespectful in the grand scheme of things.

Going through @hoopshype Top 100 players for 2024-25 season.

Suns have three players in top 100: Kevin Durant (11th), Devin Booker (16th), Bradley Beal (73rd).

Thoughts? #Suns pic.twitter.com/pKvaT5K9jG

— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) September 10, 2024

Durant is coming off of yet another season of all-around brilliance, while also playing 75 of 82 possible contests. He exhibited some of the strongest and most consistent play on the defensive side of the ball in his entire career - which came alongside continued efficient scoring outputs and a relatively solid season as a playmaker where he averaged 5 APG.

It just feels difficult to justify Durant being anywhere outside of the top 10 - even entering his age-36 season.

Booker's placement - 16 - feels even more sacrilegious, as Booker is a generally phenomenal playoff performer, had one of the standout Olympic runs, and remains one of the most feared offensive engines in the league despite a relatively disappointing playoff run last season.

Booker has been one of the strangest cases of a superstar player that has a reputation that is largely dependent on the moment - one day it feels like he is being placed in conversations with Jayson Tatum - and the next it feels like he is getting disrespected out of thin air.

Ultimately, it feels fair to place Booker in the 11-13 range, as he has a track record and consistent production that an upcoming star like Victor Wembanyama has yet to be able to boast, but hasn't been consistent enough to supersede a legend such as LeBron James.

Beal's placement of 73 feels fair at the moment, but it certainly appears as if the NBA world has forgotten how good the second-year Sun can be - or are just willfully writing him off.

Beal still averaged 18 PPG while being a very willing defender in a season that was largely considered disastrous for him, whether it was battling with injury or not having a consistent role to fall back on.

It feels like coach Mike Budenholzer is the ideal voice in the locker room to once again maximize Beal - expect a resurgent season from the one-time scoring champion of the NBA.

Season two of the "big three" experiment is set to begin on October 6 in preseason action against the Los Angeles Lakers.