Player Preview: The Suns’ crowded guard room leaves Bouyea fighting for survival

Every day, we’ll take a closer look at another member of the 2026-27 Phoenix Suns, examining what they bring to the roster and what their role could mean for the season ahead as we count down to training camp and the preseason.

Point Guard, 6’2′, 180lb, 27 years old, 4th season

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Last season, Jamaree Bouyea was an early pickup for the team after he signed a two-way deal in November, coming from the Austin Spurs. They saw the potential in the guard who had floated around the league his first three years. The move let them add someone who could make the roster, and with injuries to Jalen Green early on, extra guard play was key.

This let them waive C.J. Huntley, a solid G-League player, and give him time to develop into the piece they wanted. Bouyea then proved in his early minutes that he could contribute to the rotation when the team was injured. Bouyea fought for those minutes and, similar to Collin Gillespie in the previous season, was allowed a full-on roster spot at the end of the year.

He then stayed with the team, and even though key players returning cost him minutes in the rotation, he solidified his spot and learned more. That is where this year comes into play for Bouyea, as he faces an uphill battle given how deep this team truly is at guard. That said, with his ability to overcome those obstacles last year, I hope he can make that impact again.

Last Season

In his first year in Phoenix, Bouyea suited up in 46 games for the Suns, a career best for the guard. For the Suns, this was a huge win, as they had done well on the margins by landing guys who hadn’t performed or hadn’t been given an opportunity elsewhere to really pan out. Even if he got a little worse as the season went on, Bouyea still put his name on the map after being a two-way pickup in the first half of the season.

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Bouyea really showcased that he’s a jack-of-all-trades, able to help the team in many ways. He could distribute the ball and be a solid ball handler; he could be a catch-and-shoot guy for the team if they were lacking three-point scoring, and he also fought like hell on the defensive end, trying to be as big of a pest as he could. This was key, as Jordan Ott clearly wanted this playstyle, and like Mat Ishbia and Brian Gregory said preseason, they were going to build the team around the scheme and not the team around big names. This gave a player like Bouyea that opportunity, since they knew he would be a perfect fit.

Contract and Roster Context

As Michael A. Scotto of HoopsHype reported, the Suns picked up Bouyea’s team option this summer. This allowed him to stick with the team for this year on a deal just shy of $2.6 million. This contract is non-guaranteed, though, allowing the Suns to waive him and not owe any dead money if he does get injured, if one of the two-way guards does better, or if they see someone better out there they can pick up. He is at the bottom of the guard room, and with two other guards on two-way deals, this could be a competition battle for Bouyea all season long.

What He Brings

As I mentioned earlier, Bouyea brings a bit of everything to his game. As a scrappy guard who has yet to really solidify himself in a true role, he does have to bring it all and help in any area of need. That said, his strongest suit is probably his aggressiveness and how much he cares, which truly shows on the court. As stated previously, the front office built this team around Ott’s expertise, and Bouyea fits that mold they are looking for. Look at a guy like Jordan Goodwin, for example, who had a similar trajectory early on and now found himself in Phoenix this past season.

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Bouyea should use him as inspiration to keep that fight in him and always know that an opportunity is there for him to capitalize on. This year could be that for Bouyea if he gets the time to shine and proves he can be another disruptor in this system who can be valued long-term.

What Needs to Improve

Even if he is pretty good at everything, Bouyea still has areas where he lags behind others. One of those is his three-point shooting, as he shot under 30% from three this year. His shot was solid and did drop off later in the year with less run, which makes sense, but it is something to keep an eye on. IF that number can go up and he can be a solid spot-up shooter, especially now with Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen being gone, he can truly solidify himself as one of those spots. Goodwin did that this past season, getting better from three and earning himself a contract with the team—all that could be said about Bouyea next year if he can get on this path.

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Prediction

If you can not tell from this article, it’s clear I have a soft spot for Bouyea and want him to succeed. Last year, I wrote many articles about his early appreciation in the rotation and how he could contribute in future seasons if he stuck around. Now that opinion will be put to the test as we gear up to watch a year where he has training camp and a full year to make an impact with this team. Now, will he succeed? That is the difficult thing to wrap my head around,

With how deep this guard room is (Booker, Green, Gillespie, Goodwin), he lines himself up as the fifth guard in that rotation of PG minutes, and with Kennard there too, it definitely clouds his SG minutes as well. This is where the uncertainty may strike, as he could be forgotten in the depth of this bench. Yet, we see every season something is always in the water in Phoenix, as the injury bug always strikes in the Valley. We wish to avoid that this season, but with that being the case, Bouyea will have opportunities to make his case for being a part of this team long term. Do I think he will stick? Yes, at this point I think he will make it to the end of the season, as the Suns truly see something in him, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Pat Spencer or Koby Brea forces a tough situation on the front office at the trade deadline.

Stat Prediction: 42 games, 7 PPG, 2.3 APG, 1.9 RPG, 1 STL, 48/35/70

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Final Words

Ultimately, this will be an uphill battle for Bouyea, but I am sure he knows the challenge ahead this season. Truly, with how deep this bench unit is, it’s hard to see a clear path for Bouyea to excel this season, but in any year of basketball, you have to expect the unexpected. At this point, last year no one pictured Phoenix doing what they did, and they proved their doubters wrong. The same could be said for Bouyea entering this year with this team. All the expectations are on him, and he’s truly one of the underdog stories for this team as he finds his path to a long-term roster spot. This is just the beginning of his journey, but hopefully it’s a long-lasting one here, with a breakout year coming.