Ranking the Phoenix Suns’ eight top-5 picks all-time
By Adam Maynes
Alvan Adams – Drafted 4th Overall in 1975
While Walter Davis wanted to play his entire career in Phoenix, Alvan Adams was fortunate to have had a similar dream come to reality.
Selected out of Oklahoma where he averaged 26.6 points and 13.3 rebounds as a 6’9″ power forward/center, Adams made a huge splash for the Suns his rookie season. Not only did he make the Western Conference All-Star team and was named the NBA’s rookie of the year, but he led the Suns to a hugely surprising NBA Finals appearance in what wound up being one of the greatest Finals of all-time.
Although his scoring would dip almost every year following his rookie campaign, his rebounding average remained fairly consistent, and over his first five seasons Adams averaged 17.1 points, 8.7 points, 4.5 assists, 1.4 steals, and .7 blocks. One of the best passing big men in NBA history, Adams was also regularly one of the league leaders in assists, including eighth overall his rookie year, leading the team in the stat twice in his career.
Over his final eight seasons with the Suns, Adams would slowly statistically decline. However, his consistency in performance, coupled with his leadership both in the locker room and in the community, as well as his acceptance of a bench role for several years late in his career, Alvan Adams receives the honor of being the best top-5 pick in Phoenix Suns franchise history.
| Games | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | |
| Rookie | 80 | 19.0 | 9.1 | 5.6 | 46.9 | N/A | 735. |
| Suns | 988 | 14.1 | 7.0 | 4.1 | 49.8 | 0.00 | 78.8 |
| Career Highs | 82 | 19.0 | 9.2 | 5.6 | 53.1 | 50.0 | 88.3 |
| Career Avg | 14.1 | 7.0 | 4.1 | 59.8 | 0.00 | 78.8 |
Next: Valley of the Suns 2017 Mock Draft 3.0
*All statistical information was drawn from basketball-reference.com. Additional research for a player’s background information about each player at the time of their draft and at the time of their departure came from the Arizona Republic Archives.