Three Suns players make SI’s Top 100 NBA players list

SI.com came out with their 2015 Top 100 NBA players list on Monday and three Phoenix Suns made the cut. The three players to make the list are Isaiah Thomas at 90, Goran Dragic at 35 and Eric Bledsoe at 33.

Thomas is ranked just above fellow guards Jeff Teague, Kemba Walker and Danny Green. The former Sacramento Kings guard is coming off a career year where he averaged over 20 points per game with 6.3 assists a night. Here is what SI said on the Suns new point guard.

"In his third season, Thomas put up career-best numbers that rivaled those of just about everyone at his position.The last pick in the 2011 draft ranked fourth among point guards and No. 24 overall with a 20.5 PER, joining perennial All-Stars LeBron James, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook as the only players to average 20 points and six assists. The rub, of course, is that all of those points and all of those assists didn’t translate to many victories for the hapless Kings. His production didn’t even translate to a new contract with Sacramento, which sent Thomas packing to Phoenix in a sign-and-trade deal.The Kings finished well below average on both sides of the ball last season, and the undersized Thomas hasn’t yet shown that he can consistently run a high-performing offense or make do defensively. His fit with the Suns looks excellent, though. Coach Jeff Hornacek will welcome Thomas’ attacking mind-set and pick-and-roll skill to an explosive perimeter rotation. — B.G."

The next two players to make the list Dragic and Bledsoe, who are at 35 and 33 respectively. SI mentions that though Dragic had the better year in 2013-14, Bledsoe is ranked higher due to having more value to more teams. Last season the two combined to shock the NBA world by leading the Suns to 48 wins in what could have been a higher total had Bledsoe stayed healthy.

Dragic is coming off a career year that earned him NBA’s Most Improved player and a place on the All-NBA 3rd team. Here is what SI said about the Dragon.

"Dragic was a worthy third-team All-NBA selection last season for his clever play with the ball and creativity in opening paths to the rim. Never before had Dragic carried an offense as effortlessly as he did the 2013-14 Suns, and never before had he hit shots both inside and out at such a superior rate. His scoring and playmaking helped surprising Phoenix contend for a playoff spot all year.Without much gradual development, the 27-year-old erupted on a team stocked with shooters and guided by free-flowing pick-and-roll basketball. One could hardly put Dragic in a better position to succeed, a testament to coach Jeff Hornacek. The result, however, triggers some skepticism that Dragic and the Suns in general — a team fueled by career years throughout its roster — can build on their explosive success. As an extension of that thought, it’s worth wondering if Dragic would be able to play to the same standard in a system not so completely tailored to his strengths. After all, he’s only a year removed from being a merely above-average starting point guard. Dragic improved in the interim, but the extent of that improvement may be somewhat exaggerated by his environment. — R.M."

Bledsoe is also coming off a career season, averaging over 17 points per game. At only 24 years old, the sky seems to be the limit for the Suns guard. The only thing hurting his value, and his contract situation, is his injury history. The Suns and teams around the league have been hesitant to give Bledsoe big money due to already having two knee operations. If healthy, then we could see Bledsoe even higher on this list next season. Here is SI’s take on the 24-year-old.

"The lesser of Phoenix’s dual point guards last season is nonetheless the better prospect for this season.One shouldn’t conflate Bledsoe’s ranking over Dragic as some indication of their respective value to the Suns. Instead, this standing can be read as acknowledgement that Bledsoe has slightly more to offer a wide variety of teams playing a wide variety of styles. Such a case begins in coverage, where Bledsoe is among the best defenders at either guard position — far more than can be said of Dragic’s merely passable work on that end.Bledsoe’s athleticism, ridiculous even by NBA standards, provides a through line for every defensive possession. Small guards don’t typically make for versatile defenders. But Bledsoe is strong enough to herd bigger opponents into help, quick enough to keep pace with the league’s fastest and bouncy to enough to contest any kind of shot. Wind him up and he’ll launch at an opponent with full defensive focus, hanging with every step and harping on every dribble. Slot him in at either guard position to allow for full cross-matching freedom.Bledsoe’s offense can also take whatever form his team requires, from that of a high-usage creator to an off-the-ball dynamo. Last season Bledsoe — who spent his first three years as a Clippers backup — thrived in his first crack at the former role, highlighted by much-improved shooting off the dribble and a more patient reading of pick-and-roll scenarios. Some regression on Bledsoe’s mid-range shooting numbers could be in order, but the fact that he converted so effectively on his pull-up shots from all ranges suggests a basis for genuine growth.If that kind of creative play isn’t needed — as when, say, slotted alongside Chris Paul — Bledsoe has proved that he can make a living off cuts, spot-up looks and offensive rebounds. He reads the baseline unusually well for a nominal point guard, perhaps in part because he’s spent his college and pro career sharing the floor with other playmakers. At every stop he’s handled his positional redundancy with finesse, impressing more and more with every passing season.— RM"

Also to note, former Suns player Boris Diaw (100), Robin Lopez (82), Marcin Gortat (58) and Joe Johnson (51) made SI’s Top 100 list. Did any Suns fans ever imagine Robin Lopez or Boris Diaw making a list like this?