What Does the Phoenix Suns' Starting 5 Lineup Look Like?
The lineup listed below represents the Suns at full strength, which is one of the oldest teams in the NBA. Forward Royce O'Neale serves as the team's sixth man, along with guard Grayson Allen mixed in.
Position | Starter |
Point Guard: | Tyus Jones |
Shooting Guard: | Devin Booker |
Small Forward: | Bradley Beal |
Power Forward: | Kevin Durant |
Center: | Jusuf Nurkic |
Point Guard Tyus Jones
A 10-year vet in the NBA, Jones was signed by the Suns during the 2024 offseason. Jones spent last year with the Washington Wizards and the previous four with the Memphis Grizzlies, though 2024-25 is only his second year as a full-time starter. Jones was top 10 in assists last year with 7.3 assists per game, making him the Suns' top option to spread the ball around to its premier scorers.
Shooting Guard Devin Booker
Booker returns to shooting guard after spending time as a point guard last year. A four-time NBA All-Star and 2022 All-NBA First Teamer, Booker is a shooter whose range can extend out to the 3-point line. He was top five in points per game last year with 27.1, tied with teammate Kevin Durant. Now in his 10th season, Booker has spent his entire NBA career in Phoenix.
Small Forward Bradley Beal
Beal spent the first 11 seasons of his NBA career with the Washington Wizards before being traded to the Suns prior to the 2023 season. Beal is a three-time All-Star who was the third overall pick out of Florida in the 2012 draft, and averaged a career-best 31.3 points in 2020-21 after averaging a career-high 30.5 the previous season. Beal hasn't played more than 53 games since the 2020-21 season.
Power Forward Kevin Durant
One of the most talented players in the entire NBA, Durant has averaged at least 29 points in five of his 16 seasons since being drafted with the second overall pick in 2007 by the Seattle SuperSonics. Early in his career he took the Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA Finals before leaving as a free agent and winning consecutive NBA Finals MVP awards in 2017 and 2018 with the Golden State Warriors before leaving them in free agency to join the Brooklyn Nets, who traded him to Phoenix at midseason in 2022-23 when the superstar trio of Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden were not performing well together. Durant is a perennial top choice for NBA MVP on sportsbooks in Arizona.
Center Jusuf Nurkic
Acquired by the Denver Nuggets along with Gary Harris in a 2014 draft night trade in which the Bulls got the draft rights to Doug McDermott, Nurkic eventually landed with Portland in 2016-17 and was a solid center for a Trail Blazers franchise that had its share of ups and downs, shooting above 50 percent in six of his seven seasons and averaged double figures in rebounds four times. The Suns acquired him shortly before the start of the 2023 season and he went on to average 11 rebounds per game that season, good for seventh best in the NBA.
Examining the Phoenix Suns’ 2024-25 Bench
Position | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
Point Guard: | Monte Morris | ||
Shooting Guard: | Grayson Allen | Damion Lee | Josh Okogie |
Small Forward: | Royce O'Neale | ||
Power Forward: | Ryan Dunn | ||
Center: | Mason Plumlee | Oso Ighodaro | Bol Bol |
O'Neale is the team's sixth man with the most minutes coming off the bench, while Grayson Allen is the next man up to provide relief for the team's guards. Damion Lee, Mason Plumlee and Ryan Dunn have also seen a solid amount of relief minutes in 2024 so far.
Who Is Phoenix Suns’ 6th Man?
Royce O'Neale has been the sixth man for the Suns thus far. He joined the Suns in February 2024 and played in 30 games, and then earned a four-year contract extension during the summer. If you're considering betting on O'Neale to win NBA awards like the sixth man award (or on the Cavs to win the Finals or the East), make sure to use the best Arizona sportsbook promos available today.
Get to Know the Phoenix Suns' Front Office
General Manager | James Jones |
Head Coach | Frank Vogel |
Associate Head Coach | Kevin Young |
Who Is the Phoenix Suns' Head Coach?
Mike Budenholzer is in his first year as the Suns' head coach, replacing Frank Vogel who was one-and-done in Phoenix. Budenholzer previously coached the Atlanta Hawks from 2013-17 before moving on to the Milwaukee Bucks from 2018-22.
Who Is the Phoenix Suns’ General Manager?
James Jones is a former NBA player who spent 15 seasons as a player in the league, winning three championships with the Miami Heat (twice) and Cleveland Cavaliers (once). He was hired by the Suns in 2017 as Director of Player Personnel shortly after playing is final game for the Cavs, and he was promoted up when former general manager Ryan McDonough was fired. He shed the "interim" tag from his general manager's title in 2019.
Phoenix Suns Starting 5 FAQs
The Suns' current starting lineup at full strength is Tyus Jones, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic.
Kevin Durant is the Suns' leading scorer at 25.8 points per game, while Devin Booker follows at 25 PPG. Booker and Durant both averaged 27.1 PPG during the 2023-24 regular season.
The Suns' 6th man this year will be Royce O'Neale, who was traded to the Suns in February 2024 by the Brooklyn Nets.
The best Suns players of all time include the likes of Paul Westphal, Grant Hill, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Charles Barkley, Paul Westphal, Charlie Scott, Connie Hawkins and Gus Johnson.
James Jones is the general manager and president of the Suns. Josh Bartelstein is the team's CEO.
Author
Wes is an editor and writer for BetArizona.com. Based out of the Kansas City area, Wes has covered sports professionally since 2015 with a strong emphasis on sports betting and the NFL, though he's also covered pro wrestling, UFC, college sports and more.