3 Suns whose stock dramatically improved after media day

The Phoenix Suns' 2025-26 media day is in the books, and the team have now been hard at work in training camp ahead of a new season. There is still a preseason trip to Macau to navigate - featuring a pair of games against the Brooklyn Nets - a franchise with ties to The Valley that continue to deepen.

The Kevin Durant trade will always link them, while new head coach Jordan Ott was an assistant in Brooklyn for several years. It doesn't end there, as new Suns' senior advisor Steve Nash got his only head coaching gig so far in, you guessed it Brooklyn with the Nets. A fact that has not been lost on coach Ott.

3 Suns clearly improved their stock after entertaining media day.

Part of the fun of this time of year is the optimism that surrounds every team. Cast your mind back 12 months, and many were speaking about the Suns being a top four team in the Western Conference. We all know how that ended - and although it is still early days - these three players got fans talking for all of the right reasons after their first official appearances of the season.

3. Grayson Allen

A surprising place to start, given Grayson Allen was mentioned in trade packages for Jonathan Kuminga earlier this offseason. Although he comes into this season somehow as the second longest tenured Sun after Devin Booker, many still feel the 29-year-old is going to be moved eventually. Even if that is the case, General Manager Brian Gregory still believes he can be of use in The Valley.

Gregory gushed to the media about how seriously Allen took the offseason and how much he wanted to improve his conditioning to get to Booker like levels. Again if you go back a year, Allen came to training camp an absolute unit and proceeded to deal with niggling injuries for much of the campaign as he lost his starting spot - and rhythm - to Tyus Jones.

Allen looks to have trimmed down some, and in the process caught the eye of the front office with how seriously he is taking being part of this group. Passing the good vibes on to a rookie when speaking to the media was another great way to both get the fans back onside, while also building team chemistry. You truly can never count this guy out.

2. Dillon Brooks

How quickly perception can change in this league. If you'd told fans in The Valley at the end of last season that - not only would Dillon Brooks join the organization - but that he and Booker would quickly put past beef aside to become friends, you would have been called crazy. Yet we've somehow arrived at that point, and Brooks is clearly loving the change of scenery.

The Suns expect him to be a mentor to younger guys and set the tone on the defensive end, and he has been doing both of those things right out the gate. Revealing that there's a "Villain Jr." in their ranks - that is a younger player nobody would expect who has joined him on the dark side - only added to the fun.

Brooks is fortunate that he arrives as part of the Durant trade, but with far less expectations on his shoulders than Jalen Green. So he can quietly go about his business creating a defensive identity here, and using the blank canvas that coach Ott is going to give him to bring the best out of his teammates. It's going to be a fun season with Brooks on this roster.

1. Khaman Maluach

Expectations for rookie center Khaman Maluach were certainly muted after a raw Summer League outing, but a perfect storm has ramped up expectations somewhat. Allen and several other of his new teammates have made a point of talking about how vocal he is defensively already, which is a great sign.

If there's any truth to him being comfortable communicating - and even more importantly - understanding what is happening on that end, the 19-year-old might be able to contribute sooner than anticipated. Then there is fellow big Mark Williams, who the Suns traded for this summer to give Maluach room to grow into the player they hope he can become.

But the most recent update on his health status was puzzling at best, meaning the need for Maluach to have a bigger role straight away has also increased. He was also a great interview during media day, and his positivity about the whole experience to this point was plain to see. Hard not to be excited by all of that.