The 4 most improved Phoenix Suns players this season

The Phoenix Suns have needed help from throughout their roster to remain competitive this season, and these four players have stepped up.

Phoenix Suns v Dallas Mavericks
Phoenix Suns v Dallas Mavericks | Ron Jenkins/GettyImages
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1. Grayson Allen

Seeing Allen top this list has to be bittersweet for the Suns. On the one hand he tips the Nurkic for Ayton deal in their favor, as Allen was also part of that deal. Coming over from the Milwaukee Bucks, excitement for his arrival was modest at best. Nobody could have predicted he'd go on to lead the league in 3-point shooting percentage, at a sizzling 48.6 percent per game.

Yet Allen has not only excelled as the long-distance threat in tons of space that the franchise envisioned, he's also done a capable job of filling in when Beal is not available. Which has been a lot more than anticipated, and which has seen Allen start all 52 games he has played for the team this season. Not bad considering many thought he'd end up being their sixth man.

He easily beat out Eric Gordon for the role of fifth starter/most important role player, and defensively he has been far from terrible as well. The fit is just excellent next to Durant and Booker, so much so that he also sees the court and starts games just as much when Beal is healthy.

That is testament to how reliable Allen has been, and he should have appeared at the 3-point competition at All-Star Weekend. The only downside here is that Allen is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and the Suns may now not be able to keep him. He deserves to get paid, and his career high 13 points per night deserve to see him play as much as possible for the rest of the season.

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