Best Draft Pick In Phoenix Suns History

The Phoenix Suns have been part of the NBA for nearly 60 years. Since 1968, the team has been one of the more successful franchises that have not won a championship.  In that time, they have had their share of Hall of Fame-worthy players and outstanding draft picks, with three players deserving genuine consideration as the team’s best draft pick of all time, with one current star standing out more than the others. 

Shawn Marion, selected ninth overall in the 1999 NBA Draft out of UNLV, spent eight and a half seasons in Phoenix and became one of the most versatile and underappreciated players of his generation. A four-time All-Star with the Suns, Marion was a Swiss Army knife on both ends of the court, defending multiple positions while scoring in multiple ways, averaging 18.4 points, 10 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.4 blocks during his Phoenix tenure. 

The Suns repeated their good fortune with the number nine pick, adding Amar'e Stoudemire in 2002 straight out of high school. Stoudemire won Rookie of the Year, making him the first prep-to-pro player to claim that award. Over eight seasons in Phoenix, Stoudemire averaged 21.4 points and 8.9 rebounds, made five All-Star appearances, and alongside Steve Nash formed one of the most electrifying pick-and-roll partnerships the league had ever seen. 

When it comes to the Suns' best draft pick, the honor goes to current star Devin Booker. 

The son of former NBA guard Melvin Booker, Devin had the opportunity to grow up around both the NBA and International game. Earning college interest starting in his sophomore season with the Moss Point Tigers, Booker ultimately inked a scholarship with the Kentucky Wildcats. Averaging 10 points and 2 rebounds with a shooting percentage split of 52/41/82 in 21 minutes off the bench, the 6’6” SEC Sixth Man of the Year helped the 38-0 Wildcats reach the Final Four, where they would fall to Wisconsin, before declaring for the 2015 NBA Draft. 

Selected thirteenth by the Suns, Booker would make his NBA debut two days before his nineteenth birthday and quickly made his presence felt, despite being the youngest player on the roster. Averaging 13.8 points over 76 games with 51 starts, Booker was the Suns' third leading scorer. Despite his efforts, the rookie could not help the Suns improve their record over the previous season, losing sixteen more games to finish 23-59. 

In his second season, Booker put his name on the NBA map when, as a twenty-year-old, he dropped 70 points against the Boston Celtics, the youngest player in NBA history to reach that mark, and only the sixth player ever to do so. At twenty-two, he became the youngest player in NBA history to record consecutive 50-point games. Unfortunately, the Suns around him were terrible in those early years, with five coaches in five seasons, finishing below .300 each time in four of his first five seasons.  

When Chris Paul arrived in 2020, everything clicked. Booker led Phoenix to the 2021 NBA Finals, the franchise's first in nearly three decades, averaging 25.6 points per game in the postseason and recording a 40-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist triple-double in Game 1 of the Conference Finals against the Clippers. While the Suns would fall 4-2 to the Milwaukee Bucks, Booker had his first taste of the playoffs. 

Over the course of his eleven-year career, Booker has earned five All-Star appearances and two All-NBA selections while becoming the Suns' undisputed leader. While Marion and Stoudemire each earned an NBA Championship elsewhere, they became stars in Phoenix. If Booker continues to play at an elite level and possibly brings the Suns their first NBA banner, he will, without a doubt, join the Matrix and STAT in the Hall of Fame.