Phoenix Suns top five players of the month: A shake up at the top

While the Phoenix Suns surely struggled in March, it did provide time for players to develop which shook up the top five player of the month rankings.

March was possibly the toughest month in the years of rebuilding for the Phoenix Suns. The franchise went without a win for the month. Part of that was do to injuries, also it was clear that the team was tanking without using the term. Still while the team failed to post any victories, the team did get to see the continued development of several of their young players, which caused a major shake up in these rankings.

No. 5

Due to injury, T.J. Warren only played in six games during March. Playing in a half-dozen games won’t usually get a player even ranked, but he produced impressive enough numbers to make these rankings. He averaged 20.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.5 blocks and 0.7 steals. When healthy, Warren will be much higher on the rankings in the future.

No. 4

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Devin Booker‘s injury is the one that has infringed the Suns’ chances of winning a game the most. Like Warren, Booker only played in six contests in March, but he completely dominated in those games. Booker’s average for the month was 24.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.2 blocks and 0.5 steals. It’s fair to say that if Booker was healthy, the team might have won a few games in March.

No. 3

Point guard Tyler Ulis tripled his double-double total for this season with two double-doubles in March. Ulis’ game was brought back to life after playing poorly for most of the season. In March, he averaged 10.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 0.2 blocks and 0.7 steals. Ulis’ play at the end of the month earned him a honorable mention in March’s last player of the week award. Whether or not this improved play will help him stay with the roster past this season is yet to be seen.

No. 2

Surely it’s surprising to most to see the up and down Marquese Chriss ranked number two on this list, but the second year power forward had a solid March. Chriss delivered three double-doubles in March, which is the most he had in any month this season. He had a solid average of 10.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.8 steals. March has been the best month of Chriss’ season and hopefully he can sustain this success over the long term going into next season.

Honorable Mention

Phoenix Suns fans got to enjoy the 3-point barrage that Troy Daniels displayed during March. Daniels has shot 41.9 percent from the 3-point line during the previous month, which is his second highest percentage for any month this season. Daniels stepped up his game amidst the injuries and averaged 12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.1 blocks and 0.5 steals. Daniels had proven to be a reliable shooter all season long and might have earned himself a spot on next season’s roster.

No. 1

After winning two player of the week awards in March, its clear that Josh Jackson‘s overall production warrants him being at the top of the rankings. Jackson averaged 17.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.3 blocks and 1.7 steals. The overall impressive stat line and the injuries to several key players allowed Jackson to jump from the third spot he had held the previous two rankings to the number one spot in March. If the Phoenix Suns want any chance to be competitive next season, Jackson will need to continue to put up numbers like this with a improved and healthy roster.

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The lack of victories and the injuries made the month of March dreadful for Phoenix Suns’ fans, the player development from club’s young core certainly helped ease the pain. Hopefully, it’s a sign of things to come next season when the team should be ready to compete for a playoff berth.

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