The Phoenix Suns Summer League team will undoubtedly be a learning period for Markieff Morris and Kendall Marshall, the squad’s two pieces that will take what they learn in Vegas to the NBA season.
But who are the other guys? While there are a couple of players from nontraditional basketball schools on the team, the Suns have a bevy of experienced collegiate players from NCAA teams known as winners.
Here’s a quick glance at the entire roster with as much as this writer can tell you about each player.
P.J. Tucker
Texas
6-foot-6, 224 pounds
The 35th overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in 2006, Tucker spent only one season in the NBA before heading overseas. He’s a bulldog of a wing who Summer League head coach Dan Majerle said stood out on Thursday during the team’s practice. Tucker’s aggressiveness makes him a deadly scorer who can finish in the paint. But he also has an outside stroke; he shot 47.5 percent from three-point range in 44 German League games last season while averaging 16.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Marcus Landry
Wisconsin
6-foot-7, 225 pounds
One of the last players cut from the Suns roster before this past season, Landry is a beefy small forward known for his hustle. But the younger brother of Carl Landry has a perimeter game, too. He played this past season for the Shanghai Dongfang Sharks and averaged 20.6 points while shooting 41 percent from long range.
Jacob Pullen
Kansas State
6-foot, 187 pounds
Known as an ultra-competitor, Pullen went undrafted after four years with the Wildcats. He’s more of a scorer than a pure point guard and averaged 16 points and 3.2 assists a game last year in the Italian League for Angelico Biella.
Pullen was absent at the end of Wednesday and Thursday’s practices when the media was allowed into the practice court, but the Suns said he’s still on the roster.
Matt Howard
Butler
6-foot-8, 220 pounds
Two times did Howard make the NCAA Tournament’s final game with the Bulldogs, but his accomplishments in college were perhaps overlooked by NBA teammates Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack. The big man is perhaps a bit undersized at the NBA level, but he averaged 12.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 13 German League games last season after going undrafted.
David Lighty
Ohio State
6-foot-6, 216 pounds
A player who could be compared to the Suns’ own Jared Dudley, Lighty was projected as a second-round draft pick a year ago but fell out of the draft altogether. He’s a do-it-all type who played in Italy-Serie A last season. He’s the Buckeyes’ all-time wins leader after playing four seasons at OSU and was an All-Big Ten Defensive Team selection.
Erving Walker
Florida
5-foot-8, 176 pounds
Like Pullen, Walker has a competitive fire that’s boom or bust at the point guard slot considering his shot selection. He left Billy Donovan’s team after four years as the Gators’ all-time assist leader — he averaged 3.8 assists a game this past year. A Brooklyn-born player, Walker’s size hurts him as a scorer, and he only shot 39.2 percent from the field as a senior.
Patrick O’Bryant
Bradley
7-foot, 248 pounds
You were probably wondering where this guy has been. After being selected ninth overall by Golden State in 2006, O’Bryant played for the Warriors, Raptors and Celtics for a career average of 5.8 minutes per game before falling out of the NBA. Last season, he played in Puerto Rico and averaged 11.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.
Matt Gatens
Iowa
6-foot-5, 213 pounds
The Iowa born and bred guard went relatively unnoticed in four years at Iowa, but he came on strong his senior year and got a little notoriety as the Hawkeyes upset a number of solid Big Ten squads this past season. If anything, Gatens is a scorer who can stretch the floor with a pure jump shot — he averaged 15.2 points per game in the 2011-12 season but a couple of times went for 30-plus.
Charles Garcia
Seattle
6-foot-9, 229 pounds
Garcia played two years of junior college ball before having one successful season at Seattle. Majerle said Garcia was one of the more impressive players in camp on Thursday. He’s played everywhere from Turkey, to Mexico to four D-League teams — he was a D-League All-Star in 2012 — along with the Knicks’ Summer League team. Garcia was also signed to the Atlanta Hawks roster before getting waived in the 2011 season.
Diante Garrett
Iowa State
6-foot-4, 190 pounds
Garrett played in France last season after going undrafted in 2011. He’s an oversized point guard who can score with a quick release on his jumper. He had a high assist output in college, averaging 6.1 dimes per game his senior year, and Garrett can rebound decently for a point guard.
DeShawn Sims
Michigan
6-foot-8, 224
In 2010-11, Sims was the D-League rookie of the year while with the Maine Red Claws. Since, he played in the Korean Basketball League and averaged 23.9 points and 9.6 rebounds a game. Sims has also appeared on Summer League squads for the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks.
Akos Keller
Albacomp (Hungary)
6-foot-9, 230 pounds
A member of the Hungarian national team and a Hungarian League All-Star the past two years, Keller is a true center who averaged 11 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting over 60 percent from the floor.