#1 – Walter Davis
Selected fifth overall in the 1977 draft, Walter Davis is another peculiar case. Statistically, he also had the best year of his career during his rookie season. Also similar to Adams, it was a dang good one. He averaged about 24 points and six rebounds while contributing 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals. He also shot a pretty amazing 53% from the floor for a shooting guard.
The Suns finished that year with a record of 49-33 – a 15 game improvement over the season before. That’s the kind of turnaround that could get someone MVP consideration. Well, he didn’t get that, but he did get a lot of recognition. Davis was not only named the NBA Rookie of the Year, but was also named to the 1978 All-Star and All-NBA Second teams. That’s not only the best rookie year in Suns’ history, but it has to be considered one of the best in NBA history.
Next: Top-5 Suns who were great after being traded away
Again, like Alvan Adams, Davis would never have as good of a season as his rookie campaign. It’s really strange how that happens. He would, however, have a wonderful career and go on to become one of the greatest players in Suns’ history. He had six All-Star appearances and two All-NBA Second teams, all in Phoenix. Davis entered the Suns Ring of Honor in 1994 and had his No. 6 retired. He is still the franchise leader in points scored.