Jalen Green and Deandre Ayton Land in the Top Five
As the Phoenix Suns look ahead to the 2025-26 season, two players linked to the team find themselves in an unwanted spotlight. Jalen Green and Deandre Ayton were ranked among the NBA’s most overrated players, according to Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale.
New Arrival Green Under Scrutiny
Jalen Green, acquired from the Houston Rockets in the Kevin Durant trade, ranks near the top of Favale’s list. Despite averaging over 20 points per game for his career, his efficiency and playmaking have come into question.
“Green can look the part of a lead ball-handler and scoring option… but it has come on suboptimal efficiency,” Favale wrote.
According to BBall Index, Green’s shooting and playmaking metrics fall short. His assist-to-usage ratio has never exceeded the 27th percentile, and his spot-up shooting peaked in the 60th percentile before dropping to the 0th percentile last season.
The Suns are betting on a fresh start for the 23-year-old, hoping that a new system can unlock his potential.
Ayton Fails to Deliver in Second Chance
Former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton, who now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, also landed high on Favale’s overrated list. After an underwhelming tenure in Phoenix, Ayton was moved to Portland, where expectations remained unmet.
Favale criticized Ayton’s reluctance to play physically near the rim and his lack of drawing fouls:
“Among all bigs over the past five years, he has finished no higher than the 44th percentile of rim volume and no higher than the 32nd percentile in the rate at which he draws shooting fouls,” Favale noted.
Analyst Iztok Franko ranked Ayton as the seventh-best center in the West, but emphasized there’s a strong chance Ayton could fall out of the top 15 altogether.
The Trail Blazers reportedly chose to trade Ayton to the Lakers rather than let his $35.6 million expiring contract weigh them down further.
Unwanted Spotlight for Phoenix
Whether fair or not, the Suns now carry two names among the most overrated in the league. Green has time to alter that perception. Ayton, however, may be nearing the end of his window to do so.
