Man, I completely whiffed on my Damion Lee preseason prediction.
Welcome to our Phoenix Suns Season in Review series, where we take a closer look at each player who suited up during the 2024–25 campaign. One by one, we’ll break down what went right, what went wrong, and what each player can do to take the next step heading into next season.
It takes a big man to admit when he’s wrong, and buddy, consider me Paul Bunyan-sized. I whiffed on plenty this past season. From my preseason proclamation that the Suns would cruise to a 53-29 record to the misguided belief that Mike Budenholzer was the answer to Phoenix’s chronic postseason migraines, my track record reads like a cautionary tale.
But of all my misses, none felt quite as facepalm-inducing as my take on Damion Lee.
Before the season tipped off, I was high on Lee. Not just optimistic. High like the great astronaut Katy Perry. I predicted he’d suit up for 74 games, chip in a respectable 9.2 points per night, and serve as a stabilizing, microwave scorer off the bench. A low-key assassin who could swing a random Tuesday night in Charlotte or flip the energy in a sluggish second quarter with a couple of quick-trigger threes. I saw him slotting into the Eric Gordon role.
And man, was I wrong. Catastrophically, comically wrong.
We got 25 games of Damion Lee, and if you put a gun to my head, I don’t think I could describe a single one. I had to double-check Basketball-Reference just to confirm the number. Twenty-five? Really? It felt like five. I completely misjudged how the Suns would use him — or more accurately, how they wouldn’t — and I’ll eat that L without a chaser.
In the end, it’s a reminder that no matter how closely you follow a team, how many pregame pressers you dissect or depth charts you obsess over, there’s always a blind spot. And this season, Damion Lee was mine.
Damion Lee
- Position: Shooting Guard
- Vitals: 6’5”, 210 pounds, 32 years old
- Experience: 7 years
- Stats: 25 GP, 3.3 PPG (36.5 FG%, 24.3 FT%), 0.8 RPG, 0.4 APG, 0.4 TO
Contract Details
Damion Lee is on a veteran minimum contract that expires this offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent. The Suns do possess his Bird rights.
Regular Season Recap
There’s not a whole lot to unpack with Damion Lee’s season. It started with an emotional media day, where he opened up about the personal battle to get his body right and return to the court. It was raw, honest, and a reminder of the often-invisible toll injuries take on a player, not just physically, but mentally. For a moment, you felt the gravity of what it means to confront the fragility of a playing career.
“It’s been a journey,” Lee said at Suns Media Day. “It was an uphill battle for a while. Fighting depression. Going to see a therapist. Just didn’t know if I was going to be the same person again, let alone the same player.”
But once the season tipped off, Lee was essentially a non-factor. Whether it was a coaching decision based on rotations, matchups, or the reality that he’s an aging guard trying to recapture a step he may have permanently lost after a near career-ending injury, his season barely made a ripple.
His best outing came in a forgettable 17-point loss to Denver in February, when he dropped 11 points in 16 minutes. Those 11 points, by the way, made up 13% of his total scoring output for the season. He finished the year with just 83 points to his name, a number that feels like it belongs to a late-season two-way call-up, not a veteran contributor.
It wasn’t the season anyone hoped for, especially not Lee.
Biggest Strength
Damion Lee’s calling card has always been his three-point shooting. That’s his bread and butter, his ticket to sticking in the league.
But this season, the stroke betrayed him. He hit just 9-of-37 from deep, a bleak 24.3%. For a guy who entered the year as a career 37.9% shooter from beyond the arc, it was a glaring drop-off.
Some of that’s rust, some of it’s rhythm, and a lot of it’s opportunity. A lack of consistent floor time makes it tough for a shooter to stay sharp, and confidence is a fragile thing when you’re glued to the bench or thrown into random low-leverage minutes. It was a tough, forgettable year for a guy whose one reliable NBA skill never got a fair shot to resurface.
Biggest Weakness
The reality with Damion Lee is that outside of his three-point shooting, which abandoned him this season, the rest of his game has always had noticeable limitations. Defensively, he struggles. His lateral quickness isn’t there, and it shows when he’s asked to stay in front of quicker guards or switch onto wings. Perimeter defense is shaky, overall defense is underwhelming, and there’s never been a moment where you’d confidently call him a reliable stopper.
Offensively, when he tries to create his own shot, things get clunky in a hurry. The closer he gets to the rim, the more disjointed and forced his game looks, like a guy running downhill with no brakes. He’s not a playmaker, not a creator, and without the catch-and-shoot weaponry, there’s just not much left in the bag.
Likelihood of Return: 2.3
There’s a new regime in town now, and they likely don’t carry the same emotional connection to Damion Lee that the previous front office and coaching staff did. Sentimentality rarely survives a regime change, especially on a roster that’s desperate to improve around the margins. Phoenix needs to get better on the fringes. More athleticism, more reliable defenders, more guys who can contribute in multiple ways.
And if we’re being honest, it feels like Lee’s time here has quietly run its course. My assumption is he won’t be back next season.
Overall Grade: D
Damion Lee is, without question, a great story. A testament to resilience, mental toughness, and straight-up intestinal fortitude. The road he’s traveled to carve out a spot in this league — undrafted, overlooked, battling injuries — deserves respect.
But as a basketball player, it’s clear his best days are behind him.
It’s unfortunate because I genuinely believed he had something left to offer this team. I had high hopes for what he might contribute, especially as a veteran presence and knockdown shooter off the bench. But the reality is, Phoenix has better, younger, more versatile options in that role now. The league moves fast, and if you can’t find your footing, it doesn’t wait for you. And sadly, for Lee, that’s exactly what happened this season.
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