Jerel McNeal: 2014-15 Phoenix Suns Player Grades

Apr 4, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Jerel McNeal (8) dribbles against Utah Jazz guard Bryce Cotton (8) at US Airways Center. The Suns won 87-85. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Jerel McNeal (8) dribbles against Utah Jazz guard Bryce Cotton (8) at US Airways Center. The Suns won 87-85. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
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Jerel McNeal
Apr 4, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Jerel McNeal (8) dribbles against Utah Jazz guard Bryce Cotton (8) at US Airways Center. The Suns won 87-85. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The 2014-15 season came with high expectations for the Phoenix Suns, a young team on the rise that had won 48 games the year prior. But with the trade deadline departures of Goran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas and three other players, the Suns lost one-third of their roster and fell apart soon after.

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Still, the season was not a complete waste. Young players who needed more minutes finally got them, the core is intact moving forward and Phoenix will look to regroup in the offseason. But in order to put the season in context, it’s time to take a look back on 2014-15 and examine how everyone performed and how they fit in for the long-term.

Today, we begin our daily 2014-15 Phoenix Suns Player Grades with Jerel McNeal, the D-League call-up who has had the shortest tenure in Phoenix of anyone on the roster.

Who is Jerel McNeal? How did he end up in Phoenix? And is there a chance McNeal showed us enough in such limited time to warrant the contract he earned through 2015-16?

Next: Weaknesses