Suns Mid-Season Honors: MVP, Hustle Award and More
The Phoenix Suns will have officially reached the halfway point of their season tomorrow night at the conclusion of their contest against the New Orleans Pelicans.
While some might believe the 22-18 start is unacceptable, there are still many things to feel good about moving forward, and the next two weeks pose a prime opportunity to continue to climb the Western Conference standings.
Here are our picks for key awards at the midway point of the season - and these players are key reasons why Suns fans should feel good about the outlook of this team.
Most Valuable Player: Kevin Durant
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This answer could have potentially been Devin Booker a month ago, but it is now undoubtedly Durant.
The superstar forward has spent much of his first full season in Phoenix attempting to lead a less than fully equipped squad game in and game out with varying amounts of success.
He has also had to play through media narratives surrounding his loyalty to the team and franchise. He has more than answered the call.
With all due credit to Booker- who is a superstar in his own right and the clear-cut face of the Valley - Durant is the best player on this team.
He showed how truly valuable he still is in the Suns' comeback victory against the Sacramento Kings, showing off the ability to play defense at both levels while continuing to be one of the premier offensive players in the game.
Hustle Award: Josh Okogie
Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Okogie hasn't been nearly the fixture in the Suns' lineup this season that he was in the closing stretch of last year.
The main factor behind that is his regression as a shooter: he went from shooting near league-average last year to shooting just over 23% so far in 23-24.
That doesn't mean he can't bring value to the court, though.
The second-year Sun won the prestigious Dan Majerle hustle award in his inaugural season in Phoenix and could be poised to repeat as the recipient once again.
If Okogie is lacking offensively, particularly as a shooter, he certainly isn't lacking of energy and effort.
He plays nearly every rep with extreme tenacity, drives the ball with purpose while diving for loose balls and boxing out big opponents for rebounds.
Okogie does the little things very well with consistency.
Most Consistent: Grayson Allen
The numbers speak for itself.
Allen has played in and started 35 of the Suns' 40 games this season averaging 13.9 PPG/4.2 RPG/2.9 APG.
The real eye-popper is the efficiency in which Allen is exhibiting.
Allen is shooting absurd 50.3/48/91.2 splits halfway into the season - and while those numbers might drop some - the sample is simply too large to call this start a fluke.
Allen also consistently brings the ability to put the ball on the floor as a secondary creator, along with the willingness to play physical defense, often against an elite offensive player.
Allen had been a very welcome addition to the team this season and is looking to cash out on a large contract this summer because of this break-out.
Spark Plug: Bol Bol
On the contrary to Allen, Bol Bol hasn't had nearly enough sample to make a fair evaluation of the player he can truly be in a good situation.
Bol earned this title as spark plug even in a minuscule four-game sample.
The talented big was sparsely used through the first two months of the season, but finally got his shot to shine- as coach Vogel promised.
He has largely delivered.
While the former Magic stud is currently dealing with various foot/ankle issues, he made a positive impact in all four of the games he saw extended run in since the New Year broke.
Biggest Surprise: Jusuf Nurkic
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Nurkic was a divisive acquisition in the Deandre Ayton/Damian Lillard blockbuster trade.
While many Suns fans were excited to move on from the Ayton saga, others were apprehensive to welcome Nurkic - a player with perceived deficiencies that could hold the squad back in the grand scheme of things.
Nurkic has been a surprising positive on the defensive side of the ball, if only a slight positive.
While his slow feet has been a concern against more athletic bigs, he isn't afraid to leverage his strength at the rim and constantly communicates. He is also a very physical rebounder and very rarely fails to box an opponent out.
Nurkic's passing ability and improved finishing over the last month-plus have been the strongest developments for the Bosnian big man going forward.
Another surprise is Nurkic has played all but two games this season, which were missed due to a family member passing. Here's to hoping he continues to stay healthy as the home stretch of the season is fast approaching.
