Small Forward
Next, The Athletic has chosen Connie Hawkins as the Phoenix Suns’ ‘forever’ small forward.
Not only is the Hall of Famer considered the first superstar in franchise history, but his athleticism and above-the-rim play was truly Jordan-esque before there was Michael Jordan.
However, this is the first position that I have to debate with.
Yes, Connie Hawkins was an amazing scorer and in his “rookie” season with the Phoenix Suns averaged an outstanding 24.6 points and 10.4 rebounds a game.
Phoenix Suns
He was, though, a bit of an inefficient scorer for a big (47.9% from the field), and I have to take off points (metaphorically speaking) for playing in an era in which there was no 3-point line, and question if he actually had the outside shot necessary to really set himself apart from another likely Hall of Fame small forward in Phoenix Suns history: Shawn Marion.
While one would never compare Marion to Jordan (actually…people did on draft day – go ahead: look it up), his hyper-athleticism and above-the-rim play would certainly rival that of Hawkins, and he too was – like “The Hawk” before him – arguably the most athletic player in the league in his prime.
Marion was a legitimate first-option scorer (he averaged 19+ points five times with Phoenix, over 20+ points twice, and led the team in scoring in his second season), he averaged 10.0 rebounds per game for the Suns in his 8+ seasons here, and even ripped down over 11 per game twice in 2004-05 and 2005-06.
The Matrix too was an outstanding defender, constantly placed on the opposition’s best offensive player, plus he was a legitimate 3-point threat every season, averaging 34.2% for his career in Phoenix, while peaking at 39.3% in 2003-04 (before he even got to play alongside Steve Nash).
I love Connie Hawkins, but I do think that the nod has to still go to Shawn Marion.