Ranking the Phoenix Suns’ eight top-5 picks all-time

Walter Davis – Drafted 5th Overall in 1977

One of the most pure shooters the league has ever known, and arguably the sweetest  shooter in franchise history, Walter Davis made an immediate impact on the Suns, and with his duration, that impact has been a lasting one.

A good scorer in college at North Carolina (he averaged 15.7 points for his career), Davis came onto the scene in Phoenix like gangbusters. Averaging 24.2 points his rookie season and 23.6 his second, ‘Sweet D’ was immediately a star in the Valley of the Suns, and after being selected to the Western Conference All-Star game and winning rookie of the year honors in 1977, seemed destined for league-wide stardom.

Injuries would slow him up at times in his career, missing 27 games in 1981-82 and 59 in 1984-85, but overall, in his first ten seasons in Phoenix he was the team’s most consistent scorer, averaging 20.7 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.4 steals.

In the Summer of 1987, however, the team was rocked by a drug and alcohol scandal that caused Colangelo to shake things up in a dramatic way. Yet Davis, one of the players directly implicated in the mess, survived and managed to play in 68 games for his 11th season.

A free agent in 1988, Davis wanted to remain in Phoenix, and felt very blessed for his time in the Valley and for the help and shelter the Suns organization provided him during his off the court struggles. However, Colangelo offered him one guaranteed season and only a partially guaranteed second season, whereas the Denver Nuggets offered him two fully guaranteed years, which he reluctantly accepted.