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Suns’ Devin Booker left off Washington Post’s top-100 players list

Oct 20, 2016, 6:23 PM

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) gets past Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha (25) as he scor...

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) gets past Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha (25) as he scores during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, April 5, 2016, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

(AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Phoenix Suns sharpshooter Devin Booker is looking to make a leap this season. However, he still has a lot to prove.

Washington Post NBA writer Tim Bontemps ranked his top 100 players according to their overall talent heading into the 2016-17 season, and Booker didn’t make the cut despite the likelihood he takes a major step forward.

In the annual GM Survey published on NBA.com, respondents were asked to pick the player who could break out in 2016-17, and Booker was ranked No. 1  at 31 percent and garnered more than double the votes compared to Karl-Anthony Towns’ 13.8 percent.

Booker was likely left off of Bontemps’ list due to his poor defense as a rookie. Given how multi-dimensional Booker has shown to be on offense, he will certainly be considered a top-100 player if he improves on the other end.

Two Suns players did make Bontemps’ cut. Eric Bledsoe ranked No. 54 while Brandon Knight came in at No. 67.

Now in his seventh year, Bledsoe will look to use his veteran leadership to help lead the young roster — that is if he can stay healthy. Last season, Bledsoe underwent surgery in order to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.

On Dec. 26, the team announced he would be sidelined the rest of the season. In the games he did play, the guard averaged 20.4 points, 6.1 assists and 4 rebounds, and the severity of his absence showed when the Suns won just 11 games after Bledsoe’s season ended.

Bledsoe, like several players above him on this list, is only held back by health concerns. When available, he’s proven to be a capable offensive option and a defensive menace. The days he’s been available, however, have been far fewer than the Suns would like.

Likewise, Knight hasn’t been fully healthy with the Suns since they traded for him in the 2014-15 season. He played just 10 games as a Sun before injuring his ankle that season before a hernia surgery interrupted 2015-16.

Last season, Knight only played 52 games. Now in good health, he has so far embraced his role as the team’s bench scorer and is a candidate to win the Sixth Man of the Year award if he can stay healthy.

Knight has never gotten back to the same level he was at during the first half of his season in Milwaukee two years ago before he was traded to the Suns in a stunning deadline-day deal. If he and Eric Bledsoe can get on the same page (and stay on the court), the Suns could perhaps surprise some people this season.

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Suns’ Devin Booker left off Washington Post’s top-100 players list