Phoenix Suns: 10 Best Draft Picks In Team History

By Gerald Bourguet | May 21, 2015

Apr 7, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek talks with guard Archie Goodwin (20) in the third quarter of their game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 96-69. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

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4. Alvan Adams

You might be noticing a trend with most (if not all) of the names on this list: hardly any of Phoenix’s draft picks have been Suns for life. Think about the two best players in this franchise’s history in Steve Nash and Charles Barkley. Neither one of them spent their entire careers in Phoenix and one of them (Barkley) spent less than five years with the Suns.

That’s not the case with Alvan Adams, the fourth overall pick in the 1975 NBA Draft. Adams is one of the rare few to spend his entire career with the Suns, averaging 14.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game over his 13-year career.

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Unfortunately for the Suns, he peaked during his rookie season. He averaged 19.0 points, 9.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game that season, leading the Suns to the 1976 NBA Finals, winning Rookie of the Year and making the All-Star Game in the process. But after that, he never made another All-Star appearance and he never matched those numbers again.

Adams is the franchise’s second all-time leading scorer, and he’s the all-time leader in games played, minutes, rebounds and steals. It’s no wonder his No. 33 jersey was retired (though he gave Grant Hill permission to wear it when he came to Phoenix) as a member of the Suns Ring of Honor.

He wasn’t a superstar, but I think at this point most Suns fans would love a good/great draft pick to actually stay in Phoenix for their entire career like Alvan Adams did.

Next: No. 3