PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns have had their fair share of Hall of Famers, special teams and unforgettable moments since the franchise’s inception in 1968 — but who is the most overlooked player to ever play in Phoenix?
Several names come to mind: players who are considered Suns legends but don’t yet get the love of other franchise legends, obscure role players who rarely get mentioned, and even players who are frequently lost in the shuffle of the Suns’ early years.
Six players who deserve more recognition from fans and media:
Who do you think is the most underrated Sun of all time?
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) September 2, 2024
Oddly enough, it felt like Hill’s late-career return to Phoenix was recognized more by the national media and fans than it was by local ones.
Hill had an infamous run of bad luck as a member of the Orlando Magic, only reaching 60 games played twice in seven seasons.
He joined the Suns as a sort of “reclamation project” and instantly became a fan favorite while reinventing himself during his five seasons in the Valley.
He never dropped below 10 PPG while playing for the Suns, while enjoying his two best seasons as a shooter and playing quality defense until he was nearly 40 years old.
Hill always seemed to be below players like Boris Diaw, Amar’e Stoudemire and even Jason Richardson in terms of pure popularity/perceived importance to the team, but make no mistake – he was essential to the 2010 WCF run.
Dragic will always be remembered for two things as a Sun — his 23-point fourth-quarter drive in the 2010 playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs to eliminate their biggest rival of the 2000s — and his Most Improved Player effort in 2014, where he led a team that was considered mediocre early in the season to 48 wins.
The only thing that kept Dragic from becoming a franchise legend was the two times he got off to an ugly start.
Had he stayed, he could have been considered the third-best point guard in franchise history before Chris Paul arrived.
It hurts even more that he is now considered first and foremost a Miami Heat legend.
Marion commands considerable respect from Suns fans, but he is largely lacking on the national stage.
“Matrix” has yet to be named to the Basketball Hall of Fame despite being a quality college player and a phenomenal NBA player with significant accomplishments.
Marion was arguably the best all-rounder of his era and had an influence on current players like Aaron Gordon.
The fact that Marion was traded in place of a declining Shaquille O’Neal also makes it difficult to quantify how underrated he was – both during and after his career.
West may be the player with the least impressive career here – but that doesn’t take away from his importance to the early ’90s versions of the Suns.
West has always been a source of offensive rebounds and basket protection – never averaging less than 1 BPG in his six seasons in Phoenix.
He was also a key part of the 92-93 team that won 62 games and nearly defeated Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.
West definitely deserves more respect from fans. His contributions to the franchise have been enormous.
Hawkins was one of the most talented players of his era, but a dropping-points scandal in college marred that – and he didn’t get an NBA opportunity until Phoenix signed him in 1969 – at nearly 27 years old.
Hawkins made an impact from day one, averaging 24.6 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per game as a rookie in the league.
He eventually left the franchise after the 1973-74 season and is immortalized in the Suns’ Ring of Honor, but it feels like he’s frequently overshadowed by teammates like Dick Van Arsdale in the process.
Bell was the “executioner” of the 7-second-or-less era – the only Sun who frequently remained unflappable when facing the great Kobe Bryant and notoriously irritating forwards like Bruce Bowen.
He didn’t have a great physical profile, wasn’t a great finisher and had a tendency to let his emotions get the better of him – but the positives far outweighed the negatives.
He was an extremely efficient defender, never shooting less than 40 percent from three-point range in his 3.5 seasons in Phoenix. He was consistently the most willing defender in the POA — with the exception of Shawn Marion. He brought an edge to the team that wasn’t there in 2004-05.
Bell was ultimately traded for two other underrated Suns — Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley — but the total impact over his tenure gives Bell the edge.
