2014/15 Most Improved: Returnees

[Griffin]

Which of the Suns returning players from last season will show the most improvement this upcoming season?

Past poll winners:

2007: 1. Sean Marks, 2. Boris Diaw, 3. Marcus Banks
2008: no poll
2009: 1. Goran Dragic, 2. Jarded Dudley
2010: 1. Robin Lopez, 2. Goran Dragic
2011: 1. Marcin Gortat, 2 Jarded Dudley, 3. Robin Lopez
2012: 1. Markieff Morris
2013: 1. Goran Dragic & Marcus Morris (tie), 3. PJ Tucker

 

[Chaplin]

My hope is that Alex Len shows the most improvement, but I wouldn't be surprised if Marcus Morris actually ends up most improved.

 

[95pro]

Len was pretty bad in limited minutes last year. Only place he can go is up unless he gets injured. The other guys can improve but their room for growth is limited

 

[AzStevenCal]

Len was pretty bad in limited minutes last year. Only place he can go is up unless he gets injured. The other guys can improve but their room for growth is limited

I wouldn't put a cap on the possible improvement of Markieff, Marcus, Miles, Archie, Eric or Alex. And then you have the rookies...

Steve

 

[Hoop Head]

Len was awful last year in his limited minutes and he can only get better really but I think Plumlee will take another step. He was sort of the starting center by default last season and played really well out the gate. I hope for more improvement this season so he can be on the court in the 4th quarter without hurting the team. If he can become a 70% free throw shooter I think that will make a big difference in terms of the minutes he gets and when he gets them. I could easily see him averaging a double double this year provided he gets his FT% to a somewhat respectable level.

 

[devilalum]

I picked Len because I can't imagine him getting worse or staying the same.

 

[Ronin]

I picked Len because I can't imagine him getting worse or staying the same.

Agreed.

 

[SirStefan32]

Theoretically, this should be Markieff's year. I do have a feeling Plumlee will become a solid Center this year as well. Dragic is a nice pull-up jumper away from being a star, and who the hell knows what Bledsoe can turn into.

I'm gonna play it safe and go with Markieff.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Yeah, I voted Len. The baseline from which to improve gives him the advantage here.

 

[Chaplin]

Theoretically, this should be Markieff's year. I do have a feeling Plumlee will become a solid Center this year as well. Dragic is a nice pull-up jumper away from being a star, and who the hell knows what Bledsoe can turn into.

I'm gonna play it safe and go with Markieff.

Not saying Markieff won't improve, but the amount he can improve vs. the amount Len can improve is significantly different.

I actually have a real fear that Markieff will actually regress because he never seemed to have good statistics as a starter.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Not saying Markieff won't improve, but the amount he can improve vs. the amount Len can improve is significantly different.

I actually have a real fear that Markieff will actually regress because he never seemed to have good statistics as a starter.

I don't think he had good statistics until last year whether starting or subbing. I'm not worried about him regressing though and I'm even confident that he will take another step forward. But we may still discover his best role is off the bench. One of our bigs has to be able to pull a big man far from the basket. Markieff was at his worst when he tried to play the stretch role.

Steve

 

[Chaplin]

I don't think he had good statistics until last year whether starting or subbing. I'm not worried about him regressing though and I'm even confident that he will take another step forward. But we may still discover his best role is off the bench. One of our bigs has to be able to pull a big man far from the basket. Markieff was at his worst when he tried to play the stretch role.

Steve

That's where we're going to miss Channing. He started all the games and was that stretch player that helped the starters (especially Goran) excel. Now we have a possible problem: Start Markieff and force him to be a (probably) ineffective stretch 4, or let him play the inside/outside game he was good at last season at the risk of having our other starters not be as effective. Tough problem to have when you don't have anyone else that can reliably start at the power forward position.

 

[Mainstreet]

I voted for Alex Len because any significant improvement would be a huge plus.

 

[AzStevenCal]

That's where we're going to miss Channing. He started all the games and was that stretch player that helped the starters (especially Goran) excel. Now we have a possible problem: Start Markieff and force him to be a (probably) ineffective stretch 4, or let him play the inside/outside game he was good at last season at the risk of having our other starters not be as effective. Tough problem to have when you don't have anyone else that can reliably start at the power forward position.

Yeah I agree. Channing was incredibly important in our wins last season even when many of the stats suggested he was a liability. But 31 teams played without Frye last season and 16 of them found their way into the playoffs anyway. Now we just have to believe that Hornacek will find another way to clear the lane so Bledsoe can penetrate from near the top of the key or Goran can do his thing from either side.

I worry that putting Marcus at the four (and Keef at the five) will be our most effective solution to this problem. And if that happens, our combo guard driven offense will not stand the test of time and we'll likely move one of them next year. Or perhaps we'll be moving the twins for a stretch four if one becomes available? I just don't see Goran and Bledsoe surviving together though without that stretch big.

Steve

 

[Errntknght]

Goodwin is the dark horse here, so I'm going with him...

 

[sunsfan88]

Kieff.

I wanna vote Marcus or Goodwin here but I think its highly unlikely that they will even get any legit minutes/opportunity to show their improvement.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Kieff.

I wanna vote Marcus or Goodwin here but I think its highly unlikely that they will even get any legit minutes/opportunity to show their improvement.

I went for Plumlee but Marcus would have been my second choice. I think he'll get plenty of minutes. I really believe we're going to see Marcus at the four a lot, backing up his brother. Or at least, I believe that's what Jeff hopes will happen. Best case scenario, they both improve their 3 point efficiency and we don't need to go to plan B. Plan B is what happens if Markieff can't stretch the court. We'll be playing them together instead at the 4 and the 5. I doubt we see much Goodwin unless he shows solid improvement and someone goes down with injury.

Steve

 

[Griffin]

Len will have the most opportunity to improve, provided he stays healthy. He fills a position of need, and the gap between what he's shown thus far and what he was projected to eventually deliver is very wide. He should receive all the minutes he can handle. And his significant improvement would also have a huge impact on the team.

However, this is one of those "I'll believe it when I see it" scenarios. I was okay with the pick, wasn't expecting much from him last year, and still not expecting much more this year. It takes a while for these young bigs to develop, and his injuries thus far have pushed that timetable even further.

So I will go with Goodwin, even though the back-court is ridiculously crowded. I believe that Hornacek will find a way to play him, probably at the expense of Green, Tucker or even Thomas, if he shows a lot more during practices and in limited minutes he'll get at the start of season. Len has shown flashes of being an NBA player, but Goodwin has shown flashes of being a future star.

 

[devilalum]

I wanna know who's gonna spread the floor? If Green, Keif, Marcus, Toliver etc. can't knock down the outside shots the defense is going to collapse on the point guards and they're gonna get killed.

Who's gonna step up and be the Suns ace bomber? I hope Green and the Twins took about a million 3s each this summer.

 

[JS22]

My hope? Len. My guess? Markieff. If he can build on what he did last year he's going to become a really solid PF. That is, if he doesn't try to become Frye. I really, really, hope he doesn't.

 

[JS22]

I wanna know who's gonna spread the floor? If Green, Keif, Marcus, Toliver etc. can't knock down the outside shots the defense is going to collapse on the point guards and they're gonna get killed.

Who's gonna step up and be the Suns ace bomber? I hope Green and the Twins took about a million 3s each this summer.

Change that to "twin" and I'll agree with you. (Marcus)

I think Green, Marcus, and Tolliver - if he gets the minutes - will spread the floor enough. Markieff was so much better last year when he was playing inside the 3pt line.

 

[sunsfan88]

I went for Plumlee but Marcus would have been my second choice. I think he'll get plenty of minutes. I really believe we're going to see Marcus at the four a lot, backing up his brother. Or at least, I believe that's what Jeff hopes will happen. Best case scenario, they both improve their 3 point efficiency and we don't need to go to plan B. Plan B is what happens if Markieff can't stretch the court. We'll be playing them together instead at the 4 and the 5. I doubt we see much Goodwin unless he shows solid improvement and someone goes down with injury.

Steve

I think Tolliver beats out Marcus for that backup PF spot. Suns really liked Tolliver and his perimeter shooting & leadership, that's why they went out and got him asap after Frye left.

 

[KloD]

Plumlee.

Don't know that I expect much improvement, but I do expect him to play his minutes better and more consistent. As with most, he burned out last season after a few months which is understandable for a guy used to playing few min. This year he will be better conditioned to play his role.