3 dream role players we’d love to see on the Suns

There’s no doubt that the Phoenix Suns have a ton more depth this season than they did last time out. It is so good in fact, that they can now afford to bring Grayson Allen – who led the entire league in 3-point shooting at 46.1 percent last year – off the bench.

Rookie Ryan Dunn – who already looks like an accomplished two-way player – also has to contend for a spot on the second unit, despite having started a game as a result of injury to Bradley Beal and a large section of fans campaigning hard for his inclusion. This is a wonderful problem for head coach Mike Budenholzer to have, and he has reacted accordingly.

We’ve thrown the maths and the cap sheet out the window for this one – the Suns couldn’t make any of these moves even if they wanted to anyway – although we did try and keep this wishlist to those who would be defined as role players. Would it be cool if Kyrie Irving played for the Suns? Probably. Is he a role player for the Dallas Mavericks? Obviously not. You get the picture.

Oh how so much has changed to see Rui Hachimura make this list, even if he does play for those pesky Los Angeles Lakers. There was a time there after he landed in L.A. that Hachimura looked like a misfire for that franchise – albeit not a particularly expensive one – and he struggled to move the needle there.

It wasn’t that he was a bad player, but a combination of injuries and being at best the fifth option offensively (D’Angelo Russell likes to see D’Angelo Russell shoot the basketball…) on his own team appeared to stunt his growth and kill some of his confidence. Then JJ Redick came to town and Hachimura looked like a player reborn.

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The sample size is obviously small, but he’s already played 171 minutes for the Lakers – all starts – while putting up a career high 15.6 points per game. The 3-point shooting percentage of 57.1 percent is obviously outrageous and will drop, but on nearly three attempts each night it is a shot diet the Lakers will continue to feed the still only 26-year-old.

Really though it would be amazing to see his size and frame coming off the bench for the Suns. Almost like another version of Dunn, although one with a lot more experience and who can also play the five in some minutes for smaller lineups. That mix of shooting and body type will always find a home in the league, and coach Budenholzer could do wonderful things with Hachimura.

Continuing in much the same vein, and Nikola Jovic of the Miami Heat would be an incredible option off the bench for the Suns. He’s only 21-years-old yet has just entered his third season, and to watch him now is to see a young fella who is playing with more confidence than we’ve seen in the past, and he wasn’t shy on that to begin with.

Again the 3-point shooting appeals here, because Jovic is taking roughly five per game and making over 35 percent of those looks. The degree of difficulty with some of these though – he’s capable of taking these weird leaners when under pressure – bumps his approval rating up even further.

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It is not like the Heat are a hive of movement offensively, yet Jovic still relocates smartly on the court to create space. He’s also regularly overshadowed by the much more well known Tyler Herro, who himself can knock down difficult shots from deep but who is hardly a role player. Defensively he is much more imposing than Herro, and you feel him when he is out on the court.

A lineup off the bench featuring Dunn and Jovic alongside Beal, Allen and Mason Plumlee would be extremely cool to see. It would tick the boxes of having some star power – Beal could be replaced by Booker – while also combining a ton of size, length and 3-point shooting. Plumlee’s handling would be a bonus, while Allen’s insane new frame would have its uses as well.

Did we create this entire concept purely to talk about Deuce McBride? Not quite… although you’re not far off either. McBride is without doubt one of the most fun players to watch in the entire league, and his energy and shooting ability props up a New York Knicks bench that eats up every second of time he’s out there.

There’s is literally nothing not to like about this guy – but if we’re nitpicking – it is perhaps that he’s a little too eager to let shots fly when he gets the ball in his hands. When you made 41 percent of these shots last year – and have started off this campaign converting on 55 percent of these looks – then you have every right to be confident in your shot.

Defensively he’s criminally underrated, and that is likely because of his smaller stature. Despite this, few players are fighting through screens in October like this guy, while he’s one of those guys who may actually be faster with the ball in his hands. McBride did play football when he was younger – but unlike so many others who have – it is immediately clear when he’s out there.

He plays with such purpose and intensity on both ends, while his passing when he does spot a teammate is above average too. He could plug a gap as a backup point guard for the Suns off the bench, while with the amount of space he’d be afforded could rival Allen’s shooting percentage of a season ago. He would be the perfect role player in The Valley, in every single way.