The Phoenix Suns had a nice offseason in adding legitimate depth to the back end of their bench, and are now in a position where guys like Damion Lee and Bol Bol—who have both had moments with this franchise in the past – are not even guaranteed to have a regular spot on the second unit.
On the other end of the spectrum, the picture is much clearer. Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic all have to start, right? It might not be quite as simple as that, but the franchise’s top three players and starting center should certainly be in the conversation, good things happen when they share the court together.
Who then will be the Suns’ sixth man?
This is a fascinating question for this group in particular because – as we will see – it is a combination of guys who feel they should start, and then others who are reaching to try and nail down this role as their own. It probably will change over the course of the season depending on injuries and how head coach Mike Budenholzer wants to run this team, but these are the individuals in the conversation.
4. Grayson Allen
Right off the bat, this is the player who makes the most sense. Grayson Allen led the league in 3-point shooting last season (46.1 percent), and if not for injuries to Beal, likely would have been in this position anyway. Certainly it felt like that’s what the Suns wanted when they landed him in the Deandre Ayton trade.
But then Allen started all bar one of the 75 regular season games he appeared in, posting career highs in points, rebounds and assists. Defensively, he was better than advertised as well, with his athleticism coming in handy when being picked on by bigger opponents.
It seems unfair then that Allen would follow up a career year, a new contract before the playoffs started and lead the league in an important statistical category with a role coming off the bench. But that still may be the best use of his talents. There isn’t another guy on this team outside their top three players that can get as hot as Allen can, and he can do it extremely quickly.
There are also two ways at looking at how this could impact his potential trade value – which is currently at an all-time high – as well. On the one hand, it could show other franchises that Allen can come off the bench, or start, and have a positive impact. But on the other hand, his numbers and 3-point shooting percentage will surely go down, and he could then be viewed as a flash in the pan after last season.
3. Bradley Beal
They couldn’t, could they? The reasons for Beal to not come off the bench unfortunately have nothing to do with basketball, and everything to do with how much he is being paid. If the Suns did make him their sixth man, they’d have a player making over $50 million this season alone in a role that is certainly beneath a guy making that much money.
It would also surely be a difficult conversation to make a 31-year-old, three-time former All-Star who has put up 30 in a season twice in his career believe that coming off the bench is what’s best for him personally. It is much easier if you’re the front office though to say that Beal as the sixth man makes more sense for this group, because it does.
Brad with the NASTY stepback 😮💨#NBAHandlesWeek pic.twitter.com/f1SHKMxeg1
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) August 29, 2024
It would save Beal’s legs some – he was limited to just 53 regular season games because of injuries last season – and he would right away become perhaps the best sixth man in the league. He’d still generally share the court with one of Booker or Durant, but could also lead second units with his own elite scoring.
This feels like a development we could see as the season progresses. If Beal goes down and they ease him back into play coming off the bench, perhaps then he will see that to remain healthy and reach the promised land in The Valley, making the ultimate sacrifice and coming off the bench is what needs to be done. That $50 million salary certainly softens the blow.
2. Royce O’Neale
The underrated stealth pick here, but Royce O’Neale has a chance to jump into this position. It is fair to point out that being the sixth man is likely beyond his control, and the situation with either Beal or Allen would have to change for him to be in with a shout here.
He’s obviously not as good as Beal on even an average day for the former Washington Wizard, and he’s not as good a 3-point shooter as Allen either. Yet when O’Neale came over from the Brooklyn Nets at the trade deadline, he played with a comfort right off the bat that was impressive to see and helped the Suns win some games.
There’s a lot to be said for being able to slot in next to Booker and Durant and know your role – it is much easier said than done—but O’Neale did just that and took whatever offensive scraps came his way. In the playoffs he was one of the few players who actually performed well against the Minnesota Timberwolves, although Allen did have an ankle injury that limited him to two games in that series.
O’Neale is a tad undersized as a wing, although he is a career 38.1 percent 3-point shooter. Another underrated element of what he can bring as the first guy off the bench are the 5.2 rebounds he managed when he landed in Phoenix last season. The Suns need their role guys to do a little bit of everything around the stars, and O’Neale certainly fits that profile.
1. Tyus Jones
No matter what happens in 2024-25, the addition of point guard Tyus Jones to this roster is going to ensure the Suns play differently to the way they did last time out. Jones himself has already said he expects to start, and if that is the case, then it means Allen and probably Beal are fighting it out for the final starting spot.
If Beal wins, then the Suns look incredibly easy to score on, while if Allen gets the nod, that difficult conversation with Beal coming off the bench then has to be had. But what if quite quickly coach Budenholzer realizes that it is Jones who should be the sixth man, but one who also closes games?
Grayson Allen started all but one game for Phoenix Suns last season in a career year.
Led NBA in 3-point shooting percentage at 46.1%.
With the addition of point guard Tyus Jones, who is expected to start, should Phoenix start Booker and Bradley Beal or Booker and Allen? #Suns pic.twitter.com/BR0OzwuX8r
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) September 17, 2024
The Suns needed a floor general last season and they were terrible at taking care of the ball, but it’s not like they didn’t have stretches where everything worked well. They did, and they had a pair of seven-game win streaks to show for it. So what if the starting five are the same as last season—Booker-Beal-Allen-Durant-Nurkie—but Jones is the first man in?
That would mean the team could start a game just free-wheeling a bit more offensively and seeing what they can get, before Jones checks in to create the structure needed to begin to grind an opponent down. Depending on the matchup – and in the playoffs especially – Jones would then be out there in crunch time, but always as the guy who is first off the bench.
