3 Phoenix Suns that the franchise can't afford to lose
By Luke Duffy
1. Grayson Allen
As fantastic as Nurkic has been for this team - he is still not on the level of Grayson Allen - which is really saying something about how important he has become to the Suns in such a short space of time. Allen was missing for the Suns' recent loss to the Sacramento Kings, and the rotation really felt his absence.
Allen has started all 19 games in which he has played, quickly putting to bed any thoughts that he would be this roster's sixth man. His 33.1 minutes per night is easily a career high, and so too are the 12.3 points and 2.9 assists per game. The 3-point shooting of Allen is where he really excels however, and he has added a different dimension to the roster.
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With Yuta Watanabe struggling badly for consistency this season, Allen has stepped up to the tune of hitting a career high 46.8 percent of his attempts from deep. He has achieved this on just shy of five attempts per game, while on the defensive end he is far from a slouch and at this rate is probably underrated in that area.
At 33.1 minutes per game, Allen currently trails only Durant and Booker for time on the court each night, and he has done the best job he possibly could have in making up for the fact Beal has been limited to only three games because of injury. Allen is a free agent next summer, and he is having the kind of season for a fringe contender that will see him earn a nice contract starting next season.