Valley of the Suns
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Ranking the 2017-18 Phoenix Suns Rookies and Sophomores

By Khaleel Abdullah

PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 20: Josh Jackson #20 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball against the Detroit Pistons on March 20, 2018 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 20: Josh Jackson #20 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball against the Detroit Pistons on March 20, 2018 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The next group is the 5 main rookies and sophomores in the rotation. Let’s check them out.

DALLAS, TX – APRIL 10: Tyler Ulis #8 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on April 10, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – APRIL 10: Tyler Ulis #8 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on April 10, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) /

5. Tyler Ulis

Tyler Ulis, the prime example of an up and down guy that you can’t quite figure out, was a bouncy ball this season. After offseason surgery he had a very slow start and watched many different point guards start ahead of him this season – and rightfully so. He put up an uninspiring 39-29-83 shooting line with averages of 7.8 points, 4.4 assists and 1 steal this season. Then, when he had almost disappeared from the radar, he jumped off to a 45-36-88 shooting line good for 15.3 points, 7.3 assists and 1.1 steals over the last 10 games of the year. Who is he really? I think the front office will be wise to make a decision this summer.

DALLAS, TX – APRIL 10: Shaquille Harrison #10 handles the ball during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on April 10, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – APRIL 10: Shaquille Harrison #10 handles the ball during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on April 10, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) /

4. Shaquille Harrison

Shaq was signed to a 10-day deal towards the end of the season as the team chose him to replace Josh Gray. Not too much was known of him but he was determined to change that. His defense is legit and a big reason why he went from 10-day contract to multi-year deal with the Suns. He isn’t a 3-point shooter but he made 47% of his field goals and averaged 6.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 16.7 minutes over 23 games. In his last 4 games, he put up 11.3 points on 55% accuracy along with 5.5 assists and 1.8 steals. He could truly be a solid defensive backup point guard.

3. Marquese Chriss

Marquese was nothing short of depressing to start the season but his potential and athleticism leave him as one of the core guys on this young team, for now. Over the duration of the season he had a 42-29-60 shooting line with averages of 7.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1 block in 21.2 minutes. That’s a drop off from what was expected of him after last season. However, he did show signs of promise. He had nine games with 15+ points, 12 games with 9+ rebounds and 15 games with 2+ blocks. The Hawks know his name as he picked them apart for 34 points, 16 rebounds and 6 blocks in two games on 55% accuracy and nailed 7 treys to top it off. In the last 10 games of the season he said “don’t count me out” as he shot 50% from the field, scoring 13.7 points along with 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. He is another question the Suns suits will have to decide on.

PHOENIX, AZ – APRIL 8: Dragan Bender #35 of the Phoenix Suns shoots the ball against the Golden State Warriors on April 8, 2018 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ – APRIL 8: Dragan Bender #35 of the Phoenix Suns shoots the ball against the Golden State Warriors on April 8, 2018 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) /

2. Dragan Bender

Dragan improved tremendously on last season’s limited minutes. He played in all 82 games this season posting a 38-36-76 shooting line and averages of 6.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 25.2 minutes. His 3-point shooting was a welcome surprise making twice as many per game this year on 9% better accuracy. That’s impressive. He showed plenty of promise as he had eight games with 15+ points, 11 games with 8+ rebounds, 13 games with 2+ blocks and also 10 games with 4+ assists showing his play making ability that stands out among big men. In the last five games of the season, he made 53% of his field goals and 46% of his treys with eye opening averages of 13 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1 block per game. So far, he has the edge over Chriss. A muscle building, confidence boosting summer will do wonders for him.

HOUSTON, TX – MARCH 30: Josh Jackson #20 of the Phoenix Suns goes to the basket against the Houston Rockets on March 30, 2018 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – MARCH 30: Josh Jackson #20 of the Phoenix Suns goes to the basket against the Houston Rockets on March 30, 2018 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images) /

1. Josh Jackson

Josh is a very clear number one on this list, easy choice. He is the second best player on this team and he is a perfect compliment to Devin Booker. The two of them have a very bright future together. Jackson’s game reminds me a lot of Kawhi Leonard. This season was a tale of two halves for him. The 2017 version of him was a nightmare with a 37-24-56 shooting line and averages of 9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 0.3 blocks in 21.6 minutes. 2018 was a much better dream with a 44-28-69 shooting line and averages of 17.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks in 29.2 minutes. Meet in the middle and he had a 41-26-63 shooting line on the season with averages of 13.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1 steal and 0.5 blocks. He showed lots of promise with 17 different games of 20 plus points and 7 plus rebounds, 10 games of 4 plus assists and 28 games of 2 plus steals. He can score, rebound and play defense. That’s exactly what you want. He has star potential in him. The last 12 games of the season saw him average 21.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. He deserves to be on an All-Rookie team.

Next: A look back at a year of terrible Phoenix Suns PG play

That’s it for this piece on rookie and sophomore rankings. Let me know what you think.

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