Valley of the Suns
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Phoenix Suns top five players of the month: Little guy dominants

By Lucas Johnson

BROOKLYN, NY - OCTOBER 31: Mike James #55 of the Phoenix Suns high fives his teammates during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on October 31, 2017 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY - OCTOBER 31: Mike James #55 of the Phoenix Suns high fives his teammates during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on October 31, 2017 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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In the first month of the NBA season one thing became clear about the Phoenix Suns’ roster, height doesn’t matter if a player has skill.

The month of October was crazy for the Phoenix Suns‘ franchise. Head coach Earl Watson was released from his duties after an 0-3 start, along with starting point guard Eric Bledsoe‘s public falling out with the organization. After all that went down, the team began to have a turn around under interim head coach Jay Triano going 3-1 the rest of the month of October. During such a trying month for the team and franchise there are five individuals that stood out as the team’s top five players.

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No. 5

Reserve point guard Tyler Ulis comes in at number five for October. Even though he had a rough beginning to the season, Ulis finished the month strong. He averaged 7.7 points, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 turnovers while shooting 44.2 percent from the field. Three out of his last four games he scored double digit points. His slow start to the season coincides with the team’s slow start where he only had three points in just as many games. It appears that the dismissal of Watson and Bledsoe being away from the team was just what Ulis needed. Triano attributed Ulis’ better play based on the point guard’s confidence that he will have playing time, according to Scott Bordow of azcentral. If Ulis can continue to play this way for the season, then Sun’s second unit will be in good hands.

No. 4

Alex Len has came into this year with a mean streak and his play has shown it. Len is averaging a career high of nine rebounds per game this season, which is a career high. October’s average was even higher at 9.3 rebounds while also averaging 9.5 points and 0.5 blocks. He also shot 47.1 percent from the floor which isn’t great and he could improve upon. Still posting a near double-double will earn Len the fourth spot in October’s top five ranking.

No. 3

T.J. Warren is making sure the Suns know he was worth his four-year, $50 million contract extension. In the month of October he averaged 14.9 points, six rebounds and 1.3 assists while maintaining a field goal percentage of 47.7 percent.  He had three 20-plus point games during the month. It is slowly appearing that Warren will be the number two scoring option going forward. If Warren wants to keep his starting spot and remain as the second scoring option for the team, then he may want to increase his point total just slightly. However, overall fans should be happy on how Warren is progressing in the early part of the season.

Related Story: Suns Power Rankings: Week 2 Recap

No. 2

With Warren as the number two option on offense, then the number one option is clearly Devin Booker. Booker was phenomenal for the month while averaging 22.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 0.9 steals. Booker had an amazing month shooting from both the field and 3-point line. He shot 45.2 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from behind the arc. Booker also had a rough start to the month, but like Ulis, he was able to bounce back from the Suns’ terrible start.  Based on stats alone Booker would be the number one player for October, however that title belongs to another.

Honorable Mention

Before naming the number one player of the month of October, Josh Jackson deserves credit for his hard work. After starting initially, Jackson has had a relatively smooth transition coming off the bench. Of course his numbers took a dip, but he has still played well with the second unit. In October he averaged 10.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals, while shooting 36.6 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from deep. Playing off the bench will only help Jackson grow quicker as the season progresses.

No. 1

Mike James is not the best player the Suns have, but he has the grit the Suns’ have missed for several years now. James has worked his way from being a summer league player to being the Suns’ starting point guard. Grit like that is one of the most important things that NBA players need. James’ October averages proves he has grit; he averaged 13 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and one steal. He also had a 44.4 percent field goal percentage and shot 47.6 percent from the 3-point line.

Further evidence is James’ importance to the Suns and his grit can be seen in the video below.

James is tough and he is clutch, both are what the Suns need. To say that James isn’t one of the main reason why the Suns have been playing better as of late would be ridiculous. James may not be the best Suns’ player of the month, but he is the most important.

Next: Phoenix Suns vs. Atlantic Division

The Phoenix Suns are on a hot streak and hopefully the team can maintain the momentum for the rest of the season. If the team’s young core can continue to improve upon the strong note it ended October on, then there is no doubt it can remain relevant in a loaded Western Conference.

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