Roddy’s role as the youngest player on the team changed once he was traded to the Valley.
This is the first part of our Phoenix Suns Season in Review series. In this section, we’ll talk about each player who played during the 2023–24 season. There is a list review to see what went well and not so well and what they can do to improve for next season.
David Roddy
- Position: Power Forward/Small Forward
- Vitals: 6’4”, 255 pounds, 23 years old
- Experience: 2 years
- Stats: 65 GP (48 with Memphis, 17 with Phoenix) 6.5 points (40.3 FG%, 29.3 3PT%, 69.1 FT%)
Contract Details
Roddy is on a rookie contract he signed after being drafted in 2022. The forward’s team option for next season was exercised by the Grizzlies in October of 2023. Phoenix has until October 31st to pick up his team option for the 2025–2026 season. If it’s picked up, he becomes a free agent in 2026; if declined, 2025.
Career Progression
Starting his career with the Grizzlies, he was touted as a physical, high-IQ player out of Colorado State. In his first year, Roddy played in 70 games, where he got ample opportunities to contribute with Memphis dealing with an array of front-court injuries. He showed glimpses of being a good shooter and a physical defender.
Roddy was tasked with a heavy workload for the Grizzlies this year and his efficiency took a dip. He was traded to the Suns during the trade deadline and appeared in 17 games for the Valley, averaging 1.3 points and 3:42 minutes.
Regular Season Recap
Roddy started in 13 games this season, all with the Grizzlies. Injuries to Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, Brandon Clarke, and more Grizzlies put better defensive assignments on him. The forward had 18 double-digit scoring outings in his 48 games with Memphis
The Nets sent Royce O’Neale to the Suns and three second-round picks to Phoenix in a trade in February. He then went to Phoenix. People thought he could be a good player for the Valley, but he only played a few times, mostly in trash time.
The most minutes he’s played for Phoenix is 10, which he logged in his first game with the team on February 14th, in a rout of the Detroit Pistons. Devin Booker was removed early, and Bradley Beal didn’t play.
It wouldn’t be fair to say that Roddy had a bad year compared to his rookie year, even though all of his scores went down. His situations was very different. It was the No. 2 place in the Western Conference last season for the Grizzlies. This year, Memphis had the seventh-worst record in the NBA, and he didn’t play much for Phoenix. People didn’t expect much from him either; he was picked 23rd overall in 2022.
recap of the playoffs
Roddy was a non-factor in the playoffs, playing on two different occasions for a total of three minutes. He didn’t record a single statistic.
Biggest Strength
Roddy has already been part of three different types of teams in his career: an elite team, a bad team ravaged by injuries, and an underperforming team. He’s made the playoffs in both years of his career and has ridden the bench and played important minutes in them. The forward has experience playing different roles, something most young players don’t have.
His large frame gives him a physical advantage over smaller wings on both ends, letting him finish in the paint along with his 6’11” wingspan.
Biggest Weakness
He fails to shoot consistently from three.
Both of his first two seasons saw him struggle from deep. Being undersized, he is a nuisance on the floor if he’s not knocking down shots. For his career, Roddy is shooting 30.1% behind the line. It is paramount that all wings are decent three-point shooters in today’s NBA, especially for a team like Phoenix that relies on space for Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant to play their best.
Since November of his rookie year, Roddy has hit above 34.1% from three just once in the eight months of his career where he’s played at least seven games.
What to Work on: Three-point shooting and range defense.
For the Suns to have any hope of a long playoff run next season, they will need better perimeter defensive play to support their big three. For Roddy to be a major part of the Suns’ rotation, he will need to not be a liability on offense and provide value on defense as a versatile stopper.
Likelihood of Return: 5
Roddy is the youngest player on the Suns and the only one on a rookie deal. He may be dealt in a trade, but his low salary makes him an unlikely choice to be moved in a deal where he is the only player shipped out. Potentially, he could be traded in a deal with Nassir Little, who makes around $7 million a year. The Suns should keep him because he is a young player, meaning he still has a lot of room to improve, but it remains to be seen what they will do.
Overall Grade
If Memphis felt he had significant upside, he’d still be with them. Considering the opportunities he’s been given in his career so far, he hasn’t been a detriment nor an uplifter; that was true this year with Phoenix and Memphis. Roddy gets a C.
- Overall grade as an NBA player: C
- Relative grade to preseason expectations: C
