The NBA GM survey is out, and the Phoenix Suns got their fair share of recognition. They finally have the respect of other teams.
The NBA released its annual poll of all 30 general managers this morning, and there were more than a handful of Phoenix Suns appearances. More importantly, they showed up in all the places one would hope they would. NBA general managers are far from perfect, as evidenced by the volatile nature of the annual results, but it does accurately reflect value around the league.
Devin Booker might have plenty of doubters who say he’s no more than a volume scorer, but at least one GM voted him as the best shooting guard in the league. We know it wasn’t Ryan McDonough because GMs are prohibited from voting for their own team or players. Only five others received votes: James Harden, Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, Paul George, and Victor Oladipo.
Trevor Ariza came in tied for sixth in the category of most underrated player acquisition. Underrated could wind up being a great word to describe the signing, as he was an unexciting acquisition on a day filled with big names. But if Ariza can be one of the best acquisitions of the summer, the team will win a lot more games this season.
Ariza wasn’t the only Sun to receive votes in this category, as recently acquired De’Anthony Melton was also listed. Melton didn’t play in Phoenix’s first preseason game, but if he can work his way into the rotation as a quality contributor, he would help solve the Suns point guard problem and definitely qualify as an underrated acquisition.
The Phoenix Suns are also expected to improve significantly this season. The Lakers were predictably the number one team, but the Suns came in tied for second with the Dallas Mavericks. The team has nowhere to go but up, but at least the general managers expect them to be more competitive this year.
Deandre Ayton got plenty of recognition as well. While he seems like a solid Rookie of the Year candidate, he placed just fourth in projections of who will win. He did, however, come in tied with Jaren Jackson Jr. for first in which rookie will be the best player in five years. Strange enough, he also got votes for biggest steal in the draft despite going first overall.
The team also got recognition in arguably the most important category for them right now. They finished tied with Chicago for third place in the category of most promising young core, behind just Philly and Boston.
The Phoenix Suns had their two most promising stars receive great praise, and two of their acquisitions were recognized by separate general managers as the best of the summer. They were also recognized by some as the most improved team and the brightest young core. The GM survey doesn’t mean a ton, but it’s nice to see the Suns finally gaining some respect around the league.