The Suns player nobody is talking about (who can actually help them win)

When you think of the Phoenix Suns' roster for 2024-25, you are immediately draw to their three star players in Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Looking beyond that, and center Jusuf Nurkic probably comes to mind. Even if trading him may ultimately be the way to get better

After that, surely the sharpshooting duo of Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale are next, while the organization finally has a traditional point guard in Monte Morris. Josh Okogie is back, Mason Plumlee has replaced Drew Eubanks in an upgrade and even Bol Bol is returning to The Valley. With three rookies also added, the roster is crowded with players looking to carve out a role.

It should come as no surprise then that Nassir Little is flying under the radar, despite the fact he can actually help this team if given the chance.

Little was seen as a nice addition in the Deandre Ayton for Nurkic/Allen trade last summer, if for no other reason than the fact he has a contract that is easily moved in today's league. The hope was that the forward could also force his way into head coach Frank Vogel's fans, but instead he was limited to only 45 appearances (two starts), averaging 10.2 minutes per game.

Worryingly for Little, those numbers represented the second lowest amount of games played in his five seasons in the league, while the time on court was lower even than his rookie campaign (11.9). Combine that with the roster the Suns have managed to assemble on the fly - a clear improvement on last season - and Little's days in The Valley are surely numbered.

Only that might not be the case, and being in the second apron might actually help the player's cause here. The Suns can't take back a single dollar more than they send out in a potential deal, and they can't stack salaries together to go after more expensive players either. Little's $6.75 million due next season is an easy number for the team to swallow, and also limits who Little can be traded for.

Which means the still only 24-year-old Little may be sticking around in Phoenix for some time yet. Luckily for him, the Suns have a new head coach in Mike Budenholzer so he can come back with a clean slate to fight for a spot in the rotation. Also working in Little's favor is the fact Budenholzer is a more offensive-minded coach, and may give Little the chance to prove himself in that area.

It was only a few years ago he was putting up 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 25.9 minutes for the Portland Trail Blazers. That was part of a roster featuring Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, so it's not like the Trail Blazers were in full rebuild mode like they are now either. That was Little's only true chance to shine so far in the league, and he didn't fare that badly.

He's hardly known as a 3-point threat, but the numbers would suggest there's a credible shooter lurking under there somewhere. Going back to that fruitful campaign with the Trail Blazers, and Little took a career high 3.7 attempts from deep, showing a level of comfort in taking the shots. Knocking down 33.1 percent of them isn't acceptable, but those numbers have gotten better.

To date his career high is 36.7 percent - albeit on 2.9 attempts per night - achieved in the year prior to being traded to Phoenix. So if coach Budenholzer can somehow find a way to get Little a couple of open shots a game - which with three stars in tow should be possible - there's a chance Little could be reborn in Phoenix.

Interestingly the Suns also fared better defensively when he was on the court last season as well. They ranked above average (13th, 113.7), a number which can likely be attributed in some way to Vogel's coaching. Yet when Little was out there, that number shrunk to 112.7, which would have seen the Suns inch into the top 10 had it applied to them over the course of the whole season.

There's other factors at play here as well - the other guys out there with Little for example - and his role was limited on this team. Still, this would indicate there's some untapped 3-and-D potential out of him, which this roster would love to have more of. Little also possesses a bigger frame than Allen and O'Neale for example, although right now both are likely viewed as better defenders.

All of which is to say - with Little likely not going anywhere right now - he is the one secret weapon coach Budenholzer may be able to unleash next season. Essentially everybody else on this roster is a known quantity, including Bol's "even I don't know what I'm doing next" bit, but if given the chance Little could surprise and help this team to win some regular season games.