Ranking Each Phoenix Suns Player by Importance in 2013

The Phoenix Suns have a full roster of 15 people, but some players are clearly more detrimental to the success of the team.

The same can be said for every NBA team of course, but I am here to break down the Phoenix roster to see which players are the most valuable.

The performance of one player can make all the difference between making the playoffs and being in the lottery.

Whose performance matter the most?

13-15. Brad Miller, P.J. Tucker, Jerome Dyson

Every team has players who serve as bench warmers and the three players listed will serve that exact purpose.

Miller is an aging center who is really only capable of being a veteran presence while the other two have not had nearly zero playing time in the NBA. Tucker spent a few seasons over seas while Dyson has played in the D-League.

They won’t play every night and play very little on others, but they are still on the roster, which puts them on this list.

12. Sebastian Telfair

Unfortunately for Telfair, he is going to see very little action this upcoming season. He is not a bad play, but Dragic is the starter and Marshall is the rookie who needs experience.

Without minutes, it is unlikely Telfair would be able to make any sort of impact and this makes him a rather unimportant player.

11. Jermaine O'Neal

He was a late pickup, but gives the Suns a strong big off the bench. He won’t play a ton of minutes, but considering his health issues, it might be best.

He is a known contributor on both ends of the court, but his most valuable asset is his inside presence on defense. The Suns have a lot of different looks they can go with this season and O’Neal just adds to that versatility.

10. Channing Frye

Frye has become known as a three-point marksman in Phoenix and that is what he will bring off the bench. His minutes will go down and that will allow for more efficient contribution.

He is not an overly important player, but just another key piece as Phoenix attempts to make the playoffs.

9. Wesley Johnson

Johnson’s career thus far has been a disappointment, as his best season so far has seen him average nine points a game.

He is known to miss lots of shots (40 percent shooting), but his defense is what will be valued on the Suns. Johnson has developed a reputation for shutting down his man and if he can bring that off the bench, then he has a chance of seeing extended minutes.

8. Shannon Brown

The shooting guard position is set to be the weak point of the Suns team. Brown is a solid backup player, but has so far failed to make a large impact as a starting guard.

He averaged 11 points a game last season while only starting 19 games. This season he will need to play more, but the Suns have strength in other positions, which will lessen the already-small role that Brown will play in the lineup.

7. Jared Dudley

Dudley has always been a solid all-around player for the Suns for the past few seasons and has improved every year. He will return to his best role, a sixth man who can contribute on both sides of the court.

Dudley is a high-character player and this should be another good year for him. While his minutes might decrease somewhat, he could very well have the same year he had in 2011.

He averaged 10 points in 26 minutes of action and was efficient on both ends. His play often goes undervalued, but he is a key part of all success in Phoenix.

6. Markieff Morris

Consistency is the key for Morris this season. It was something Morris failed to have in his rookie year, but still showed flashes of being a strong player.

His outside shot is solid, which is something that is always welcome in Phoenix, and with the addition of Scola, he can focus more on his shooting ability.

If he can find a way to stay consistent then he will see more minutes and, in turn, the Suns will see more wins.

5. Kendall Marshall

The rookie guard was known as one of the best passers in college last season and his contributions off the bench will be very valuable to Phoenix. 

If he was forced to start immediately there is a chance he would collapse under the pressure, but being a backup will help him.

It will allow him to ease his way into the NBA and give him a chance to work on some of his weaknesses in order to make him a stronger contributor later on. If he develops his scoring ability and his defense, then he could become a very strong contributor in Phoenix.

This season, Gentry will give him minutes and, if he impresses, he will be given even more chances to contribute.

4. Luis Scola

Scola was a surprising, but very important acquisition for the Phoenix Suns this offseason. He is a great low-post scorer and brings an interesting new element to the Suns.

He scores using his finesse, which will allow his game to be strong even in his later years. He averaged 15 points a game last season on 49 percent shooting and should do just fine in his increased role in Phoenix.

Look for something similar to his 2011 campaign, where he averaged 18 points a game on 50 percent shooting. Should he have the same strong performance, Phoenix fans have a lot to look forward to.

3. Marcin Gortat

Gortat had a breakout season last year, averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds a game. He proved to be a strong inside presence on both ends of the court and his strong play helped the Suns stay in the playoff hunt.

Now that he has a low-post partner in Luis Scola, he should become even more efficient. His playing style should go nicely with the more refined play of Scola and will give Suns interesting looks on offense.

On defense, he is the team’s inside presence and will be expected to protect the paint at a high level. His ability to step up will have direct impact on the Suns’ success.

2. Michael Beasley

The Suns lack a go-to scorer and Beasley has shown signs in the past that he can play that role. In 2011, while playing just above 30 minutes a game, he averaged 19.2 points a game.

It is this contribution that made the Suns sign Beasley this offseason. He is still very young and will see plenty of minutes that will allow him to contribute.

If he avoids some of the distractions that have followed him in the past, then he could have a career year.

A strong scorer is a need for every team, one that fans hope Beasley will be able to fill in Phoenix.

1. Goran Dragic

While Dragic is no Steve Nash, it will be Dragic’s job to lead the Suns this season. If he plays great, then the Suns have the potential of staying where they are in the Western Conference or even moving up.

If he falters under all the pressure that is put on him, then the hopes of the Suns fall as well. Last season, Dragic had the chance to step up and prove himself after point guard Kyle Lowry went down.

Dragic went on to surprise a lot of people and averaged almost 12 points a game in 26 minutes of action.

Dragic is bound to see an increase in minutes and should he take yet another step in his development, the Suns could have a really strong year this season.

Thank you for reading, and follow me on Twitter for sports talk!