2000s: Amar’e Stoudemire, #9 pick, 2002 NBA Draft
If you are like me you may have read this and instantly went to see what pick the Suns are slated
to have at this point in the 2020 NBA Draft, unfortunately it is #10, not #9, since the Suns
are apparently fantastic at drafting in the #9 spot.
Amar’e would go on to win NBA Rookie of The Year for the 2002-03 season, something almost
no one expected considering he was a very raw, inexperienced big man out of high school.
He and Steve Nash created the most dangerous pick-and-roll duo in NBA history (sorry Stockton
and Malone) as Amar’e incredible quickness, verticality and finishing ability combined with Nash’s
wizardry led to true magic on a nightly basis.
Stoudemire would make five All-Star Game appearances and four All-NBA appearances in his eight seasons with the Phoenix Suns. He was 1st-Team All-NBA in 2006-07, an honor only three other Suns players have ever accomplished: Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, and Charles Barkley.
Many people forget that Amar’e was truly special in his first-ever deep playoff run as he
averaged 30-11 and two blocks in 15 games in the 2005 NBA Playoffs.
He also was usually his very best against his stiffest competition. He averaged 38 and 10 in the
2005 Western Conference Finals against Tim Duncan and had 38 points and 14 rebounds in his
first-ever game against Kevin Garnett at the age of 20.
He was one of the best face-up post players in league history and if it weren’t for knee issues
and some classic Phoenix Suns bad luck in the playoffs in the Nash era, Amar’e may be talked
about in the same breath as Dirk, Garnett and other all-time greats in his era.