Yahoo Sports: Phoenix Suns’ projected starting 5 below average at most positions
Heading into the 2025-26 NBA season, Yahoo Sports rated the Phoenix Suns projected starting five's star power above just three Western Conference teams.
Watch: Reacting to the Phoenix Suns signing Dillon Brooks to a 3-year, $73 million extension | 9 mins
Preseason games and rankings mean something until they don’t once the regular season begins in the NBA. As of now, Yahoo Sports has the Phoenix Suns projected starting lineup, in order of star power, about where one would expect minus Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal: below average.
According to Yahoo Sports writer Ben Rohrbach, Phoenix lands at No. 22 out of 30 teams with only Dillon Brooks at the projected 4th-best star option and earning an above average ranking for his position (No. 13).
The projected starting five (by level of star power, not position) was listed as follows:
- 1. Devin Booker
- 2. Jalen Green
- 3. Mark Williams
- 4. Dillon Brooks
- 5. Ryan Dunn
With Jalen Green likely to miss the first few games of the 2025-26 season, the ideal lineup will take some time to fully shape up. Center Mark Williams, who was traded to the Suns in late June from the Charlotte Hornets, has been handled with care in the preseason as the team hopes to crack the code on his lengthy track record of injuries.
Booker is expected to be more of a floor general, as he was early in his career with Phoenix, and is considered the league’s 16th-best option at the 1.
Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets was named the top No. 1 option.
When healthy, Green is expected to be the 20th-best option at the 2 on the court whereas Williams is No. 27 at the 3 and second-year pro Dunn is No. 23 at the 5.
For context, the Suns ranked one better than the Milwaukee Bucks and one worse than the Indiana Pacers. Phoenix posted an average star power score of 19.8, which was good enough to be ahead of three teams in the Western Conference — New Orleans Pelicans (No. 24), Portland Trail Blazers (No. 25) and Utah Jazz (No. 27).
The Houston Rockets came in ninth with Durant as their 1, who was named the 12th-best option in the NBA.
Suns and rest of Western Conference starting 5 rankings
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Denver Nuggets
6. Minnesota Timberwolves
7. Golden State Warriors
8. Los Angeles Lakers
9. Houston Rockets
10. San Antonio Spurs
11. Los Angeles Clippers
14. Sacramento Kings
15. Dallas Mavericks
18. Memphis Grizzlies
22. Phoenix Suns
24. New Orleans Pelicans
25. Portland Trail Blazers
27. Utah Jazz
Related
What the preseason taught us about our Suns rotation questions
Dillon Brooks needs stitches after Suns scrimmage, reveals who 'Villain Jr.' is
Suns rookie Rasheer Fleming relished defense of Lakers' Luka Doncic in preseason finale
Dillon Brooks to sign extension with Suns, becoming long-term piece
NFL OL Andrus Peat, brother of Koa, announces retirement
Suns reveal 2026 preseason schedule
Comments
3 Comments
"When healthy, Green is expected to be the 20th-best option at the 2 on the court whereas Williams is No. 27 at the 3 and second-year pro Dunn is No. 23 at the 5."
It "Pains" me to read Payne Moses.
Kings ranked three spots higher a 36 yo DeRozan, Zach Lavine, Sabonis, Murray and Schroder. That pretty much sums up the Yahoo credibility.
Or does it?
Clippers at 11th with a 36 yo James Harden. Kawhi who has averaged 53 games per season the past five years with the Clippers and Bradley Beal. Zubac and Derrick Jones Jr. are the other two.
Which questions the release of Jared Butler even more. If Green is out (or Book for that matter), where’s the bulk of scoring coming from🤷🏽 Brooks? Oso? Dunn? GA?This isn’t rocket science for opposing coaches: shut Book or Green down. Limit their options. Butler is no rookie. He can score off the bench.
Oh well. Here we go👀🤩
When did Yahoo Sports become a player in NBA rankings? A major player anyway. I mean why AZ Sports even cite them👀😒🤣